The FA are facing calls from agents to investigate Mino Raiola for a possible breach of the governing body’s intermediary regulations.

In an interview with BBC Sport in February, Raiola said that he does not sign contracts with his clients, who include Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Erling Haaland. Now rival agents are claiming this is against the rules.

The FA are aware of the comments by Raiola and are examining whether to open a formal investigation.

The 53-year-old appears intent on dominating the summer transfer window by creating an auction for Haaland, having begun talks with Barcelona and Real Madrid over the Dortmund striker this week. He also plans to meet representatives of Manchester City and Chelsea.

The matter would appear to be clear-cut if Raiola’s interview is to be taken at face value, with paragraph B1 of the FA Handbook stating: ‘An Intermediary and a Player or a Club (as applicable) must have entered into a validly executed written Representation Contract prior to that Intermediary carrying out any Intermediary Activity on his or its behalf.’

The FA are under pressure to ask Raiola to explain, although it is unclear if they have received formal complaints. Raiola’s comments raised eyebrows in an industry where representation contracts for players are standard practice, with two-year deals the most common.

Molango must cut PFA costs

New PFA chief executive Maheta Molango’s first job this summer will be cutting costs and restructuring staff, with Gordon Taylor’s long-term allies John Bramhall and Bobby Barnes among those most vulnerable.

Molango has accepted a salary which is less than a quarter of Taylor’s at around £500,000 and there is widespread acceptance at the PFA that an executive structure which includes two deputy chief executives and three assistant chiefs needs to be streamlined.

The PFA were the only football organisation not to implement wage cuts or job losses due to Covid, but that seems certain to change. One of the questions the candidates were asked at their PFA interview was how they would manage a redundancy programme.

Another early task for Molango will be overseeing the recruitment of a chairman, as incumbent Ben Purkiss has agreed to stand down at the same time as Taylor.

EFL loan compares favourably to other clubs

The terms of the £117.5m loan taken out by the EFL this week to help members cover lost gate receipts during the pandemic compare very favourably with the borrowing that has been undertaken by several clubs.

The EFL have secured an interest rate of around two per cent from US financiers MetLife, whereas clubs such as Derby and Sunderland are paying up to 10 per cent interest on loans from MSD Capital.

In an indication of the extent of the EFL’s financial crisis, 14 of the 24 Championship clubs have applied for access to the funding, which is capped at £8.3m per club.

Bees' new ground costs poses questions over rivals' valuations

The full construction costs of Brentford’s new ground in a prime west London location, which were revealed as £71.8m in the accounts published this week, raise further questions over the stadium valuations of several of their Championship rivals.

Derby sold Pride Park to a company controlled by owner Mel Morris for £81.1m two years ago, and the EFL have also queried valuations made by Reading and Sheffield Wednesday.

Sutton United's costly promotion

Sutton United face shelling out up to half the £900,000 in future revenue they will receive if they win the National League this season in order to ensure their Gander Green Lane ground meets EFL standards.

To confirm their place in League Two, Sutton must rip up the plastic pitch they installed six years ago and replace it with a hybrid grass surface, and make improvements to other stadium areas.

Sutton have a two-point lead at the top of the table with three games in hand over second-placed Hartlepool so are on course to reach the Football League for the first time.