Hodgson Bans England Player Agents During The 2014 World Cup

According to a report in the Daily Express today, Roy Hodgson will ban all player agents from the team facility in Rio. With speculation rife as to the futures of Southampton duo Adam Lallana and Luke Shaw, Roy doesn't want it becoming a distraction throughout the tournament.

"I am definitely not going to have agents swirling around or any cases of this or that player has got to leave the camp," he said. "I would expect the players to understand that."

Not only will agents be banned from Rio, they will also be banned from the training camps in Portugal and Miami. Any team hoping to tie up a deal before the World Cup starts will likely have to do so in the next week or two.

Lallana who is subject to a speculated £20 million bid from Liverpool, and his team-mate Luke Shaw who's apparently wanted by Manchester United for £27 million will not be allowed time to discuss the moves, regardless of how lucrative it may be for their future.

"I am concerned that they sign up for this World Cup and sign up to do a good job for England. Your club future is what it is and it will be taken care of outside of England time."

This makes a lot of sense to me, if you are at the World Cup, then you are at the World Cup. It's in teams best interests to get the deals done early, as positive performances on the Worlds biggest stage could inflate their value. However it may also be in the interests of the selling club to wait, for that very same reason.

During previous World Cups, player agents have been allowed at the team hotel, which is a distraction. Nobody can stop the players from contacting their agents or speaking to other clubs by telephone, however it does mean they won't just be allowed to meet officials from other teams to complete medicals when they should be focused on the job at hand.