Mino Raiola EXCLUSIVE: Paul Pogba’s agent takes aim at Man United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Gary Neville and feuds with Simon Jordan
Mino Raiola joined talkSPORT for a stunning interview on Tuesday morning during which he hit out at Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Gary Neville and revealed his client Paul Pogba is only committed to Manchester United until this summer.
He also engaged in lengthy row with Simon Jordan, the former Crystal Palace chairman, who accused the agent of 'creating a culture of division' by publicly speaking about his players.
Raiola came on air in the wake of an ongoing feud with Manchester United and their manager Solskjaer, who was the target of the agent's anger ahead of United's defeat of Chelsea on Monday evening, with the Italian writing a damning statement on social media. His comments came in the wake of Solskjaer's remark that 'Paul is our player and not Mino’s'.
Solskjaer was quizzed on Raiola's outburst following Man United's victory at Stamford Bridge, saying: “I don’t have to comment through the media on Mino and what he says. I can probably speak to him myself, so…”
He did admit he 'probably wouldn't' speak to the super-agent, however.
talkSPORT DID speak to Raiola though, as he joined Jim White on Tuesday morning and once again hit out at the Manchester United boss - saying Solskjaer took things out of context simply to offend him.
“The outcome was good for Man United [vs Chelsea[ so maybe I should do it more often," began Raiola.
“In all seriousness, I thought what Solskjaer said was out of line. He took parts of sentences of an interview of mine, and acted a little bit offended that I was offering Paul Pogba to other clubs without permission.
“If you read the whole interview I was asked if Paul would fancy Italy, and I said Italy is a second home, but that is not the case now as he is concentrated on Manchester United and getting back in the team as soon as possible and to make a great end of the season."
Quizzed on Solskjaer's remark of 'Paul is our player and not Mino’s', Raiola continued: “I’ve never said he is mine, but that doesn’t mean if I’m being asked something I cannot answer.
“The question was ‘would he like Italy?’ – what has that got to do with being Manchester United’s player. And saying that you are Manchester United’s player – are you owned by the club?
“I have been asked if he likes Italy, and I am answering as Mino Raiola; am I not allowed to do that?
“Am I not allowed to talk to you about things? Am I not allowed to talk about players I represent because they are owned by Manchester United, or Juventus, or Barcelona, or whatever other clubs there are in the world.
“It’s a very strange thing to say as a journalist as the only thing you journalists do is talk about players and how they move and don’t move.
“Ole said he is owned by Manchester United as if somebody cannot have an opinion on a player, and that is what I took as an offence.
“I really think this is a strange way of questioning; I was not talking about Pogba in relation to Italy, I was asked something by an Italian journalist if Paul Pogba likes Italy. That was it.
“Ole said he is owned by Manchester United and I have a principal problem with that; he is an employee, he is not owned by Manchester United. And being employee doesn’t mean I cannot have an opinion or say something I want to say.
“I have never spoken about Ole in the papers or the press, he always speaks about me. Whether it is about [Erling] Haaland, or Pogba’s injury, or Pogba’s surgery, he is always talking about me – I’m not talking about him.
“I have a right to have an opinion, and I have a right to represent my players in the way I want and if that does not suit you that is your problem!
“The only thing I’m interested in is my players and they are happy to be represented that way.”
Raiola's social media outburst led to criticism from others linked with the Red Devils, including former defender and club legend Gary Neville.
He accused the agent of 'messing United around for years' and said now is the time for the club to cut ties with him.
Raiola's response to this?
“Oh does he [think that]? Gary Neville has such a big know-how of football I’m surprised his Salford City are not in the Premier League already.
“He should be on the board of directors for United or maybe ask for a job.
“I don’t care what Gary Neville says.
"I have no division with Manchester United, but Ole has smacked out at me on another two occasions - but that is up to him.
"In my opinion his comments about an article which actually says Paul is committed to Manchester United until the European Championship were taken out of context. And that is what I wanted to point out.
"I think this whole discussion is being taken to a level at which it shouldn't be."
Ex-Crystal Palace chief Jordan then got involved, and so began a row over Raiola 'creating a culture of division' as a way to play puppet-master with the players he represents.
Simon Jordan and Mino Raiola's talkSPORT feud - in full
Jordan: Mino, I’m listening to you and I’m trying to understand... you made an observation about journalists talking about players moving and that it’s a centre of attention, but journalist don’t move players, agents move players...
Raiola: I don’t think agents move players.
Jordan: Of course you do Mino, that’s what you do, that’s your modus operandi, that’s how you get paid. You move players.
Raiola: No, that’s not what we do. I represent players, that’s different from moving them. To move a player, if you’re right that players are owned by clubs, then I cannot move a player without permission from the club.
Jordan: But you can create division, can’t you. You create a culture of division. If you create a culture, both you and the player, that a player doesn’t want to be at this club anymore then there is really only one transaction: when he goes, how much you get paid and how much he gets paid.
Raiola: Listen Mr Jordan, that’s the case here. It’s not a question of Paul wanting to move, Paul is only committed to Manchester United and the European Championship. After that we will sit down with the club and see what the club wants.
Jordan: But why is ‘no comment’ not the better comment?
Raiola: Yeah, but what is the matter if I have a comment to make?
Jordan: Because it’s not about you Mino! It’s about the player and Man United. You’re incidental; you only work for the player.
Raiola: I agree, I agree, it’s not about me.
Jordan: But you tweeted, Mino. You tweeted at a very divisive time. Why is it about you? Why are you making it about you?
Raiola: No, no, no, no, no.
Jordan: You are! You put a tweet out that is inflammatory, you know it’s inflammatory, you are hitting back because you want to make a point. If a player wants to make a point, he makes that point. So why does he need you to put a tweet out about what Solskjaer said? Why are you getting involved? Why are you inserting yourself in the centre of this?
Raiola: Because it was about me, Mr Jordan, it was not about Paul.
Jordan: No, it’s about Man United asserting their right having paid £90m for a player - of which you got a lot of, that’s the business you’re in and whether I like that or not is incidental - but they’ve paid for that right. You haven’t earned that right, you get paid by the player, so why are you able to comment on the business of Man United? I don’t understand it Mino, I don’t understand what you’re trying to create. You’re not creating a happy culture, you’re creating a divided one.
Raiola: I don’t agree. I don’t create any culture over the last years. But I don’t need to defend myself here, the only need to explain it to is my player.
Jordan: In the long game you guys will do, because if FIFA get a hold of you guys and start regulating you properly...
Raiola: There is no problem of being regulated here Mr Jordan, I think you are now mixing up things.
Jordan: No, you should be regulated, you should be capped on your fees and you could contribute financially to the wellbeing of football, there’s a bigger picture here.
Raiola: That’s your opinion.
Jordan: Well it’s a good opinion and it’s the opinion of most people who are sensible, not you guys, you and Jonathan Barnett and whoever else.
Raiola: Well, Mr Jordan, maybe everything should be capped, maybe transfers should be capped, maybe sponsor money should be capped, but we live in a free society, we live in a capitalist world, we don’t live in a communist world.
And by the way, Mr Jordan, saying a club can pay £90m for a player’s services is not correct, the club pays £90m as an amenity to break a contract. That’s the transfer. They don’t buy a player, they don’t buy a human being...
Jordan: Oh you’re being pedantic! Man United have every right, if you pay for something you have a sense of entitlement over it and in that contract period, in the four years they have him they are able to say he is theirs.
Raiola: So in your businesses you own your employees? They are owned by you?
Jordan: This is very different, I don’t pay £90m to buy an employee! Don’t be absurd! In the business of football he’s an asset. He’s a paid-for asset of the club.
Jim White: A relevant question here is Man United fans want to know why it seems you and Pogba don’t respect Man United as you should.
Raiola: They are your words and they are not correct, Jim.
Pogba's future also came up in the interview and Raiola once again insisted the midfielder is committed to United - but only until the end of the Euro 2020 this summer.
“United fans should read the whole interview," he continued. "He is only committed to Manchester United until after the European Championship.
“The only focus there is is to get back as soon as possible into the team to help the team, and to make a good end of the season for Manchester United.
"That is what I said in Italy and that is what I am saying here.
"I am not trying to embarrass the club and I do not see where I offended them; I have not offended Manchester United, their owners or their fans in any way.
“He is committed to Manchester United and only Manchester United until the European Championship this year, and then we will talk to the club if necessary.
"That is what I said in Italy and that is what I say here - and all the rest is a bunch of bulls***."
And to end things, Raiola was asked if the ongoing feud between himself and Manchester United would stop him ever working with Red Devils players again?
"Why not? If the United players want to be represented by me, why not?"