The man at the centre of Raheem Sterling’s contract debacle has rarely spoken in public, but comments regarding his player’s impasse with Liverpool have opened him up to a maelstrom of outrage.
Aidy Ward has almost become the story, arguably breaking one of the golden rules of his trade and taking the limelight when his prize asset should be the star of the show. He has placed Sterling in an unenviable position but, judging by the tone of his reported remarks on Wednesday, he will not have been too concerned when Liverpool decided to cancel scheduled contract discussions due for Friday.
On a day when Jordon Ibe and Jon Flanagan were agreeing deals to stay at Anfield, Sterling’s future at the club plunged further into disarray. Supporters have professed their disgust at the saga, and Ward has been the target of their ire.
The 34-year-old has been criticised by Jamie Carragher and other former Liverpool players, and Brendan Rodgers has insisted the club will not be held to ransom. Something must have gone pretty wrong in recent months for the situation to come to such a head.
Ward has worked for Rob Segal’s group, Impact Sports Management, a company that employed 10 agents. He oversaw operations at Impact alongside Jonathan Orr but recently left to go it alone. Sterling and the West Bromwich Albion forward Saido Berahino have remained on his books, and Ward is also close to the Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. He has enjoyed working relationships with others too, including the British Olympic super heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.
Registered as a licensed Fifa agent in Sierra Leone – before the world governing body deregulated the industry this year and made all agents “intermediaries” – Ward has seen his two major clients give controversial TV interviews this year, each perceived as a move intended to strengthen the position in the summer transfer window.
Sterling and Berahino spoke to the BBC and Sky respectively, discussing their futures and causing much consternation at Liverpool and West Bromwich. That said, the Albion coach, Tony Pulis, has recently talked about Berahino’s improved attitude, stating: “I can’t speak for Sterling and I can’t speak for the agent as I haven’t dealt with that. But the one thing I have said about Saido, he has been fantastic here. There’s been a real change in his attitude. His commitment to everything we’ve tried to do has been brilliant.”
Ward’s influence over his players has been the subject of much debate. One agent said: “Some people say he’s doing great work as an agent, some people say it’s not the right way to go about things. But he’ll never lose Raheem.”
The former Liverpool player John Aldridge was more forthright on Thursday. “I bet he’s never kicked a ball in his life but thinks he knows all there is to know about the game,” he told the website 5Times. “If he knew about the game he’d know about respect. As I said before this shocking outburst, what the agent has done to Sterling has been absolutely woeful. He hasn’t just tarnished his own reputation he’s tarnished the reputation of Raheem Sterling.”
Yet there are those who have worked with Ward who describe him as easy to deal with, praising his no-nonsense approach to business. One associate said: “He’s fairly straight-talking, he gets to the point. I find it very refreshing. I like the way he operates and delivers what he say he is going to deliver.”
Either way, being quoted as saying he does not care about Liverpool’s image and Jamie Carragher is “a knob” has done little to calm an already combustible situation. Whether Sterling has a future at the club beyond the summer is surely in more doubt than ever.
Ward clearly has a tight relationship with his clients. In 2013 Sterling wrote on Twitter: “Aidy is getting into my head to do more – do more on the pitch – and also how to behave off it”, while also sending birthday greetings to his agent.
In financial terms, Ward is likely to secure Sterling a lucrative contract wherever the England attacker ends up playing. In the end, that is one of his key jobs, however unpalatable the process.
