Talking Transfers x Inside Recruitment: Kevin Sharp

Kevin Sharp’s footballing story is a fascinating one.

From being one of the most highly rated young players in Europe, to international glory with his country - he has seen more than most in the game. Yet perhaps the biggest chapter of his career is just beginning.

Sharp was a Premier League footballer, but is one of the few top-flight stars who has moved successfully into the agency world. He's already showing a huge talent for it too, with England star Kalvin Phillips part of his stable.

He is now looking after the futures of some of British football’s most talented players. But the modern fan may not remember or realise that Sharp was once one of England’s best young prospects and snapped up by the most famed academy in world football at the time - Auxerre.

Raised in Blackpool, but Canadian born, from an early age Sharp was on the radar of all of England’s top clubs.

“I grew up playing in Blackpool, playing for Lancashire school boys as it was at the time and I had loads of scouts watching and talking to us, Arsenal, Man Utd and Everton," Sharp exclusively told 90min.

“Then at schoolboy level I was playing for England against France, Jamie Forrester and I were the only ones not signed up. We had taken our time and Auxerre's scout approached us. We went over and loved it. We enjoyed it in France so much we signed.”

Auxerre are currently in France’s second division, but in the early 1990s it was a different story.

They were under the charge of Guy Roux, one of the most famed coaches in football history. Roux perhaps a figure in his time akin to Sir Alex Ferguson, while Auxerre themselves could draw modern day comparisons to the likes of Borussia Dortmund.

Roux was in charge for 36 years between 1964 and 2000, during which time Auxerre won the French title and the Coupe de France. They were famed for the production line from their academy, and also fielded some world class talent - the likes of Belgian superstar Enzo Scifo among them.

Sharp, along with Forrester, were convinced to join Roux and Auxerre after their visit to central France. But Sharp admitted it was difficult to adapt.

"Auxerre were a legendary club in Europe for young players with Guy Roux, but we had to come home – we were just homesick,” Sharp said.

"It is very different to how it is now. They had one of the first big academies in Europe, and while we are used to that now, back then it was very different. Auxerre was a tiny place and there was little to do, and that was tough for Jamie and I. Our day off was a walk by the river, so it was tough to handle.

"Guy Roux sold us on the route to the first team and they were desperate for us to stay – their squad at the time was amazing - four French internationals and Enzo Scifo shows how good they were.

"But back then there were no cheap flights, no channel tunnel, no mobiles – I was writing letters back to my mum and girlfriend. It was so different to now.

"Arsene Wenger changed English football at Arsenal with his regime, but conditioning wise we were doing that at Auxerre 15 years before he brought it over to the Premier League. We knew our condition was great – when we used to link up with England, Jamie and I knew we were fitter, we could tell.

"But it got to the point that we had to leave. We told Auxerre we wouldn't stay – they offered us an apartment and to train with first-team, but I couldn't do it.

"Auxerre then organised our exit - we were due to speak to Leeds, Everton and Arsenal – but we stopped at Leeds. That was through Paul Hart, who was wonderful, and Leeds did offer that path to the first team historically. They were also one of the biggest clubs in England.

"They had just won the title. And it was around the time of the birth of the Premier League, but we had not been carried by the fanfare. We had not seen the build-up as the media is so different - there was no satellite television like you get now.

"But France was the place to be at the time, with Marseille one of the best teams in the world – Chris Waddle, Jean-Pierre Papin, Eric Cantona and Basile Boli played there too. We weren’t that sure what we were coming to."

Sharp arrived back home with a big reputation only enhanced further when he won the European Under-18 Championship with England in 1993 – alongside the likes of Nicky Butt, Sol Campbell, Robbie Fowler, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes.

Despite his international success, Sharp found chances of first-team football increasingly difficult to come by at Elland Road.

"I just never felt Howard Wilkinson was that warm to me, he was not convinced and it was down to me to force my way in," Sharp revealed.

"I made my debut for Leeds but I never had the sense that he was desperate to play me. I had won the Euros with England, I was playing with people like Fowler, Beckham, Campbell who were getting their chances at their clubs but I wasn’t really – I was not a regular, and it was frustrating.

"The following season, he signed some older players like Nigel Worthington and Carlton Palmer – experienced guys, and I got that sense he didn't want me."

Sharp soon decided to move, and it was big spending Wigan Athletic who snapped him for £100,000 - at the time not an insignificant amount. Alongside some big names, Sharp helped them through the leagues - but he also reflected on being denied the chance of playing for Canada during his spell with the Latics.

"I was asked to play for Canada before the Olympics in 1996 that they were trying to qualify for," Sharp revealed. "They enquired, but I had played in a tournament for England at youth level so I wasn't allowed. I was gutted the Football Association said I couldn't; obviously the rules are very different now. My old man was fuming. It was something I look back on with regret."

After his time with Wigan, Sharp enjoyed football in Wales and Scotland with Wrexham and Hamilton, and also played for the likes of Huddersfield, Scunthorpe and Shrewsbury. He began coaching, but then stumbled on the chance in the world of football agency.

"I went through the leagues, finished with Harrogate Town and I did some coaching when I was at Northwich Victoria with Neil Redfearn, a good friend of mine, but I didn’t like it. I knew that wasn’t for me.

"I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I was looking after the little one at home and did that for almost two years. But a friend of mine, my now business partner, came to me. He was just getting involved with players - I met him, got involved as a consultant and really enjoyed it. That's how it picked up.

"I found it something I was good at, I still had good contacts in the game, which I had built up and knew the right people to talk to.

"Soon after we decided to go for it ourselves and things have progressed really well, and have built on it from there."

Sharp is now running Palm Sports Management with his partner Martin Bradley – and they are proving hugely successful.

As a former player, Sharp is very comfortable knowing what his clients need.

"We are not a massive agency, and probably never will be. But we are in this for the players, and yes we make a living, but the main thing is the players and they recognise that too. We're in this for the long term."