“If they hate me, it’s the greatest compliment for me”— Mino Raiola sends summer transfer message to Chelsea
Agent Mino Raiola, is famed for representing some of the best players in the world, and the Dutch-Italian has a reputation for being notorious and greedy on the negotiation table.
However, Raiola has made some very interesting comments about the players he manages, boasting that he would go to war for their sake.
Raiola is notorious for falling out with a number of football clubs due to his greed when it comes to player sales and negotiations, and Chelsea are interested in one of the players he represents – Erling Haaland.
Raiola has also been accused of slamming outrageous clauses to the sale of his clients in a bid to make his own profits. But the star agent recently spoke with Sport1, where he addressed some of the issues he perceives many hold against his style.
He said, “I am ready to go to war for my players. I am ready to do everything for them. Just like for my sons.
“The sports directors hate me? Why do they hate you? I’ve never sat with a gun on the table in negotiations. I simply know very well the value of my players and what the clubs need.
“If they hate me, then it’s the greatest compliment for me. Then I do something well. If they said: ‘[It’s] Good that Raiola is advising the player, then it will be easy for us’, I would have a problem.
“The ones where the clueless sit at the table, who know nothing about business. Which is more difficult: playing against Ronaldo or against someone who can’t do anything on the ball?
“It’s only fun when your counterpart also understands something about the business. A negotiation never lasts more than a week. The big deals are carefully prepared one or two years in advance.”