Everton may have been duped into paying €20 million for Hull City player Philogene, as his agents used a ‘classic play’ to increase interest in their client. That’s according to Marca, who claims they used Barcelona to persuade Everton to pay for the highly regarded winger. According to the newspaper, Barcelona became embroiled in the issue surrounding Philogene earlier this summer as a result of certain agent trickery and exaggeration. According to them, Barcelona is well aware of the need for a left winger and has been considering a variety of options, including Philogene. He was not being evaluated by those in authority, but rather presented to them by his agents, who also represent players in their development system.
Barcelona responded by stating that they would only consider a deal if he arrived on loan for free, with a buy option at the conclusion of the season. They were then startled to find claims of a deal being reached for the Hull player, along with images of his agents at the Ciudad Deportiva. The general consensus was that he had been signed, that it was a done deal, and that he would be making the surprise transfer to the Camp Nou this summer. They were even more startled when Hull’s owner swore the interest was genuine the next week, and further images of the agents appeared to verify their claims.
However, the pieces have come into place for them this week after they read news that Everton and Hull had reached an agreement for the €20 million player. They now believe it was ‘a textbook play’ by the player’s agents and Hull City, who used Barcelona, who were never really interested, to get €20 million from Everton for their player this summer. It’s all been a great ruse to entice Everton and possibly Ipswich Town, who now appear to be vying for Philogene’s signature.
