Football Spy's Secret Agent: Expect Barcelona wonderkid to be on his way to Manchester City
When a professional football club changes their manager, they often use agents as traditional recruitment consultants as in the 'real' world.
The chairman will form a shortlist from their own targets as well as the best of the out of work applicants. In years gone by, it was also common for managers with jobs at smaller clubs to apply looking for career improvement.
However a combination of trigger happy chairmen who don't allow their manager to see a world beyond their own club car park, and infinite news channels and rumour websites spotting managers in coffee shops, at airports or buying property nearby, mean that a lot of managers just stick with what they have got.
This is where the agents come in, the chairman of a club looking to recruit a manager will then use us to speak with managers currently in work to see if they would like to be interviewed.
Last week we saw Nigel Adkins refusing to resign to take up an offer and Eddie Howe turning the same team down.
Adkins has his morals, but sometimes in life opportunities have to be taken. Just ask Simon Grayson and Paul Lambert who had those resignation letters ready to go when they left Blackpool and Colchester respectively.
The loan window has opened again and already some big moves have happened. James Vaughan to Crystal Palace was a great signing for them.
I'm sure he is on more money than struggling Palace can afford but not a word mentioned about that one being subsidized by Everton.
Luke Moore should move on from West Brom soon, a talented player who can do a job for anyone in the Championship.
A couple of good free transfers are still about too.
Wonderkid Gai Asulin, looked after by Pini Zahavi, negotiated himself out of Barca on a free transfer in the summer and will more than likely join Manchester City when he recovers from injury.
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