Latest news with #Pardew
Sunday World
07-07-2025
- Business
- Sunday World
Kevin Palmer: Evolution of a football transfer has come full circle
'It has turned into bandit country when you are trying to conclude a transfer. A deal is agreed and at the last moment, the agent will want it turned from Euros to sterling. The demands are getting more wild with each passing year.' – former Newcastle and Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew The comment from experienced manager Pardew provides a snapshot of what will be taking place over the next few weeks, as tens of millions of Euros are set to change hands as Premier League clubs flex their financial muscle in what is set to be an extravagant summer of spending. Last year's summer transfer window was something of an anti-climax for those curious souls who spend too much time scrolling social media trying to get the first news on where the next big transfer will land. Social media users who label themselves as 'transfer experts' and claim to have the inside story on the big deals make bold predictions on an hourly basis on what used to be called Twitter in a bid to attract new followers. Most of these chancers are merely reporting stories that are already in the public domain, but that does not dilute their desire to build their social media accounts and if one of their transfer guesses hits the jackpot, they become the hero of the hour. Yet only a tiny number of genuinely well-connected 'transfer experts' have a source leaking them information at leading clubs these days, with the Premier League big hitters going out of their way to ensure transfer talks are kept under wraps until a deal is close to being completed. This story was very different before the Premier League era with reporters often given inside tips on transfers by managers who were friends as well as the occasional subjects of their poisoned pens. Players would also socialise with reporters and give them the inside track on what was happening inside the dressing room, but any employee of a top club that dared to leak information now may find themselves heading for the exit door very quickly. The best source for a transfer leak these days tends to be a player's agent, but that may not always be reliable. An agent negotiating a new contract with a club may believe it is in his client's interest to be linked with a big-money move elsewhere, so he will look to plant a story in a newspaper or website to try and help his own cause. The fallen giant that is Manchester United have been used time and again as a club 'reported' to be interested in a player in recent years before he signs a new deal with his current club or moves elsewhere. The reporter at the heart of that leak is then left to explain where it all went wrong, with the extra followers he added to social media platforms in the days when he claimed to be a transfer expert quickly deserting him as his credibility is lost for good. If the old format of breaking a transfer story has changed for the media, that is nothing compared to the tales that emerge from deals negotiated by agents from all over the world. Agents were viewed with suspicion by managers and club owners when they became more prevalent in football in the 1990s, but they are now a key part of every deal and the fees they command have become as extravagant as some of the transfer fees that are exchanged between clubs. Premier League clubs paid £263,368,860 in agent fees on transfers for the 12 months from February 2020, with that figure rising to £272.6m a year later. England's top-tier clubs spent a combined £409.1m on agent fees between the winter transfer window in 2024 and the close of the January 2025 window, with the fees paid out this summer likely to be huge as a record-breaking spending spree is expected. Liverpool have already spent £200m on new signings that include Florian Wirtz, while Manchester City have been splashing the cash in the last two transfer windows as they look to rebuild their squad. Chelsea are continuing to spend big as they find creative ways to navigate the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability rules, with Manchester United and Tottenham also expected to invest heavily this summer after their woeful form in the Premier League last season. The comment from Pardew at the top of this story highlights the kind of negotiations that will currently be taking place over big-money transfers, which the dark-arts agents use effectively when those clubs are desperate to do a deal. Back in 2016, Pardew's Crystal Palace were keen to seal a deal to sign Liverpool forward Christian Benteke, but that was conditional on another transfer being agreed. It was no coincidence that the lesser talented Jonathan Benteke also signed for Palace that summer, as that appeared to be the only way the Eagles could get the player they really wanted. Jonathan made just one brief appearance for Palace, but he and his agent would have got a hefty signing-on fee and everyone in the deal was a winner… apart from the club who were left with a player they didn't want or need, or even originally want. Stories of parents demanding houses, cars and even signing-on fees for themselves are not unusual, while family-run businesses are also common place when big-money deals are being negotiated. Charlie Kane is the proud owner of CK66 Player Management, but his roster of players is limited to just one name. It will come as no surprise that the name on his list of clients is his brother Harry, so Charlie will have reaped the rewards of the £100m move from Tottenham to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2023. Kylian Mbappe is represented by his mother, Fayza Lamari, while Lionel Messi's father Jorge is his son's long-term agent and Trent Alexander-Arnold's brother Tyler negotiated his mega-money transfer to Real Madrid while taking a huge slice for his role in the negotiations. Having family members representing your interests ensures that trust and loyalty are assured, while also keeping profits from transfers and sponsorship deals within a tight family unit. It also highlights how modern footballers are not just athletes but one-man businesses that are looking to extract every last ounce from their brief reign at the top of a sport that has long since had more money than sense. AGENT FEES PAID DURING THE 12 MONTHS FROM FEBRUARY 2024 1. Chelsea – £60.3m 2. Manchester City – £52.1m 3. Manchester United -£33m 4. Aston Villa – £25.1m 5. Newcastle – £24.4m 6. Arsenal – £22.8m 7. Liverpool – £20.8m 8. West Ham United – £19m 9. Tottenham Hotspur – £18.4m 10. Brighton – £16.6m 11. Bournemouth – £16.4m 12. Brentford – £14.8m 13. Wolves – £13.5m 14. Nottingham Forest – £13m 15. Fulham – £12.8m 16. Crystal Palace – £12m 17. Leicester – £9.8m 18. Everton – £9.2m 19. Southampton – £8.9m 20. Ipswich Town – £6.3m
Scottish Sun
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Alan Pardew's career since Wembley dance, from quitting CSKA Sofia over racism storm to bizarre spell in Greece
MANCHESTER UNITED won the 2016 FA Cup final courtesy of Jesse Lingard's extra time goal. But despite Lingard's heroics, the match is best remembered for then-Crystal Palace boss Alan Pardew's infamous touchline jig. 8 Alan Pardew performed an infamous dance on the Wembley touchline Credit: BBC 8 Boyhood Palace fan Jason Puncheon fired his side into the lead in 2016 Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd Boyhood Palace fan Jason Puncheon sent the Eagles faithful at Wembley into delirium by belting the ball beyond David de Gea on 78 minutes. Celebrating Puncheon's goal, Pardew turned towards his bench wearing a huge grin. In a moment that would go down in FA Cup folklore, the former Newcastle boss performed the most egregious example of dad dancing that Wembley Stadium has ever seen. Unfortunately for Pards and Co, Juan Mata equalised barely three minutes later - with Lingard breaking their hearts in extra time. Pardew's Palace reign never recovered, and he was duly sacked in December 2016 following a run of just six wins in 36 matches. After 11 months out of the game, Pards was back in the Prem - parachuted into West Brom to replace fellow former Palace boss Tony Pulis. There was nothing for him to dance about at the Hawthorns as he didn't even see out the season - winning just three of his 21 games in charge on the way to the Baggies' relegation. Ouch. Pardew's next adventure saw him take on another relegation battle, this time in the Eredivisie with ADO Den Haag. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK 8 Pardew parties in Ibiza in 2015 Credit: Instagram The Hague side looked doomed with Pards having only won once in eight matches... only for the Covid pandemic to see the season KO'd, thus saving them from the drop. ADO Den Haag's outgoing boss was reportedly due a £100,000 bonus for avoiding relegation, even having been spared by the season being scrapped. Diehard Crystal Palace fan with arm in sling goes viral after using his HEAD to clap FA Cup heroes at Wembley Upon leaving, Pardew insisted: "If I was formally entitled to an amount I would never want to receive it. In this difficult period I would always return any bonus to the club, which will certainly find a good destination for it." Pardew's next job saw him take on an advisory role with Bulgarian side CSKA Sofia in November 2020. Eighteen months later he stepped into the CSKA dugout. His spell in charge ended in June 2022, when he resigned following a section of racist CSKA fans throwing bananas at their own team's black players. Per Sky Sports, Pardew was "angered and upset" by the incident - and in a subsequent statement he said: "The events before and after the match against Botev Plovdiv were unacceptable not only for me, but also for my assistant Alex Dyer and for my players. Our players decided to play out of loyalty towards the club. "This small group of organised racist fans, who tried to sabotage the game, are not the fans I want to coach the team in front of. That's definitely not the right way for CSKA because such club deserves a lot more." 8 Pardew joined West Brom after leaving Palace Credit: AFP 8 Pards headed to The Hague alongside Chris Powell Credit: Getty 8 Pardew managed CSKA Sofia in Bulgaria Credit: Getty Pardew's most recent managerial role took him to Greece, where he would win nine of his 22 games in charge prior to his February 2023 exit. Since his last managerial job, Pardew has shifted into punditry. He co-hosts a show on talkSPORT on Sunday nights alongside DJ Mastestic, and he could recently be seen starring in a Paddy Power advert alongside the likes of Joe Cole and Glenn Hoddle. While Pardew can be found on the radio these days, he will not be seen at Wembley during his former club's FA Cup final... because he doesn't want memories of his dad dancing to overshadow yet another final. The 63-year-old said: "I told Steve (Parish) that this team deserves so much credit. "The problem with 2016 is that the team didn't get enough. Every time it comes up in conversation, my dance comes up with it. "And I don't want there to be even the slightest chance of that happening this time. 'I don't mind talking about it. It was just an off-the-cuff reaction to a goal. No shame. But this Cup final should be about this Palace team. 'I've told Steve that if they win, I will celebrate with him at the Wolves game next Tuesday instead. "But I'll be watching from home for sure.' 8 Pardew recently starred in a Paddy Power advert
The Irish Sun
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Alan Pardew's career since Wembley dance, from quitting CSKA Sofia over racism storm to bizarre spell in Greece
MANCHESTER UNITED won the 2016 FA Cup final courtesy of Jesse Lingard's extra time goal. But despite Lingard's heroics, the match is best remembered for then- 8 Alan Pardew performed an infamous dance on the Wembley touchline Credit: BBC 8 Boyhood Palace fan Jason Puncheon fired his side into the lead in 2016 Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd Boyhood Celebrating Puncheon's goal, Pardew turned towards his bench wearing a huge grin. In a moment that would go down in FA Cup folklore, the former Newcastle boss performed the most egregious example of dad dancing that Wembley Stadium has ever seen. Unfortunately for Pards and Co, Juan Mata equalised barely three minutes later - with Lingard breaking their hearts in extra time. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL Pardew's Palace reign never recovered, and he was duly sacked in December 2016 following a run of just six wins in 36 matches. After 11 months out of the game, Pards was back in the Prem - parachuted into There was nothing for him to dance about at the Hawthorns as he didn't even see out the season - winning just three of his 21 games in charge on the way to the Baggies' relegation. Ouch. Pardew's next adventure saw him take on another relegation battle, this time in the Eredivisie with ADO Den Haag. Most read in Football BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK 8 Pardew parties in Ibiza in 2015 Credit: Instagram The Hague side looked doomed with Pards having only won once in eight matches... only for the Covid pandemic to see the season KO'd, thus saving them from the drop. ADO Den Haag's outgoing boss was reportedly due a £100,000 bonus for avoiding relegation, even having been spared by the season being scrapped. Diehard Crystal Palace fan with arm in sling goes viral after using his HEAD to clap FA Cup heroes at Wembley Upon leaving, Pardew insisted: "If I was formally entitled to an amount I would never want to receive it. In this difficult period I would always return any bonus to the club, which will certainly find a good destination for it." Pardew's next job saw him take on an advisory role with Bulgarian side CSKA Sofia in November 2020. Eighteen months later he stepped into the CSKA dugout. His spell in charge ended in June 2022, when he resigned following a section of racist CSKA fans throwing bananas at their own team's black players. Per "This small group of organised racist fans, who tried to sabotage the game, are not the fans I want to coach the team in front of. That's definitely not the right way for CSKA because such club deserves a lot more." 8 Pardew joined West Brom after leaving Palace Credit: AFP 8 Pards headed to The Hague alongside Chris Powell Credit: Getty 8 Pardew managed CSKA Sofia in Bulgaria Credit: Getty Pardew's most recent managerial role took him to Greece, where he would win nine of his 22 games in charge prior to his February 2023 exit. Since his last managerial job, Pardew has shifted into punditry. He co-hosts a show on talkSPORT on Sunday nights alongside DJ Mastestic, and he could recently be seen starring in a Paddy Power advert alongside the likes of Joe Cole and Glenn Hoddle. While Pardew can be found on the radio these days, he will The 63-year-old said: "I told Steve (Parish) that this team deserves so much credit. "The problem with 2016 is that the team didn't get enough. Every time it comes up in conversation, my dance comes up with it. "And I don't want there to be even the slightest chance of that happening this time. 'I don't mind talking about it. It was just an off-the-cuff reaction to a goal. No shame. But this Cup final should be about this Palace team. 'I've told Steve that if they win, I will celebrate with him at the Wolves game next Tuesday instead. "But I'll be watching from home for sure.' 8 Pardew recently starred in a Paddy Power advert 8 The former Palace boss also has a show on talkSPORT Credit:
Daily Mirror
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Where is Pardew now - Manager's unlikely career since Crystal Palace final dance
Alan Pardew was 12 minutes away from FA Cup glory when he rocked some dance moves to celebrate as Crystal Palace boss - but his career has taken a weird route since then Alan Pardew made himself a meme when he celebrated Crystal Palace 's goal in the FA Cup final in 2016. Donning a suit, the veteran boss knew exactly where the camera was as he showcased some moves that would stand the test of time. The issue for Pardew was that Jason Puncheon's goal, despite coming just 12 minutes from the end, wasn't enough to seal the Eagles a cup triumph against Manchester United. As a result his audacious celebration left him with egg on his face. Palace will return to Wembley for another FA Cup final nearly a decade on from that near miss, which saw Jesse Lingard score United's winner in extra-time. Pardew has found himself travelling Europe in the years after his Palace sacking, which he could have few complaints about. The run to the FA Cup final certainly covered for major cracks elsewhere. By the time he was dismissed in December 2016 his side had won only six matches of 36 played in the calendar year. The club's chairman Steve Parish said Pardew's "expansive style of football hasn't worked", and, "Now we're going to wind the dial back the other way". West Brom felt that Pardew, who had enjoyed positive spells at the likes of West Ham and Newcastle previously in his managerial career, could help save them from Premier League relegation. His stay was brief - four months in fact. He and the Baggies mutually parted company after they had gone ten games without a win, were on a run of eight successive defeats and sat bottom of the Premier League en route to relegation. It would be Pardew's final gig as a manager on home soil. At so began his nomadic career in mainland Europe. First in Holland where he surprisingly landed the job at ADO Den Haag. He took charge of eight league games, winning one, before play was halted in the Netherlands by the Covid pandemic. That wasn't before the training ground was invaded by the club's ultras who demanded answers. An angry set of fans went to the club's training base during a session and presented Pardew and his players with a flip-board as they looked to point out some of their errors in recent games. The ex-Palace boss saw his contract come to an end shortly after lockdown began. In November 2020 he headed to Bulgaria, where he initially became an аdviser on football matters to the owners of CSKA Sofia. In April 2022 Pardew took charge of the first team following the resignation of the manager Stoycho Mladenov, but struggled for results. In just his second game in charge CSKA were battered 5-0 by Ludogorets Razgrad - the biggest defeat of their season. He later left after a racist incident which saw CSKA fans throw bananas at their own players. Pardew's most recent job took him to Greece where he was appointed as the new manager of Greek Super League club Aris Thessaloniki, replacing Germán Burgos in September 2022. He signed a one-year contract with the option to extend for a further year, but was gone by February. Since then he's featured as a regular pundit on talkSPORT. His travels represent a major shift from the man who Carlo Ancelotti claimed should replace Roy Hodgson as England manager after Euro 2016. 'If England wanted an English manager after Hodgson, then Pardew is really good and I think he is the best option to be manager of the national team. I think he is the best candidate," said the five-time Champions League winner.
Scottish Sun
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Ex-Crystal Palace boss Alan Pardew reveals how chess champion Eberechi Eze can checkmate Man City in FA Cup final
ALAN PARDEW says Eberechi Eze can spark a great knight by becoming a Crystal Palace king. The winger is a symbol of how the club from the mean streets of South London has been transformed. 2 Former Palace boss Pardew believes Eze is the key to unlocking an FA Cup final victory for his former side Credit: Getty 2 Eberechi Eze has performed on and off the pitch this season, winning football and chess matches Credit: Getty Eze, 26, is a chess champion and an England international. A deep-thinking member of a polished Palace squad that is a far cry from when Pardew played and managed there. Today is the third FA Cup final for a club yet to win a major trophy. Pardew played in the first, managed the Eagles for the second and reckons this is the best shot ever his beloved ex-team has of finally landing silverware. READ MORE CRYSTAL PALACE NEWS CRYSTAL CLEAR I scored for Crystal Palace in 2016 FA Cup final, now I'm a manager in Cyprus Pardew, 63, told SunSport: 'Palace is an 'edgy' club. Always on the edge, whether relegation or the cusp of winning something. 'We get more street-type players like Wayne Rooney at our academy, who just love the ball at their feet. The area around the ground is 'edgy'. 'We get more of that type than we do structured midfield players or centre-halves or sensible right-backs. We get right-backs who just want to fly down the wing. 'The current squad has now been internationally sourced and scouted.' JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS Star player Eze won four-day PogChamps tournament this month — beating YouTuber Sapnap in the final. And Pardew said: 'It's brilliant Eze won that chess tournament. 'He is actually a neighbour of mine. Eberechi Eze was rejected by SIX teams including Arsenal as fans say 'absolute stinker in hindsight' 'He is a humble guy, he was very respectful to me when we met. Such a lovely person and to have that talent is a blessing. 'It's nice to see him win a chess tournament — brilliant. And it doesn't surprise me, because when he plays the game, everything he does is strategic. 'He passes the ball when he should and he crosses the ball when he should. 'And he shoots when he should and defends when he should. And he does that all of the time. He gets the mixture just right. 'The 1990 team was Steve Coppell doing the best job he could with the least amount of money. 'Non-league players like myself, Ian Wright, Andy Gray. Geoff Thomas came from Crewe, as did John Pemberton. 'We were a band of brothers from all corners of the football world. With 12 years of Premier League money, they have invested much more wisely. 'It has taken them up a level. I would go as far as saying this is the best team I've seen at Palace. 'I remember Gareth Southgate, when he went to the 1990 Cup final as a young player. He was teased as he was the only one in the squad who had any O-levels. 'But our centre-half Eric Young, did go on to pass his accountancy exams after retirement, so there was some room for intelligence.' Pardew wants a Palace win as a reward for the supporters. He said: 'I hope they get this one over the line for the fans. They are brilliant. They'll sing the whole game. 'A lot of those people are in jobs where money is tight, so getting to this final would be a big expense. 'But they'll still go the extra mile to be there.' ALAN PARDEW now leads his own strategic football consultancy, channelling years of experience to support clubs at every level, from recruitment to coach mentoring. Find him at
