Denis Campbell in the Observer:
’Position vacant: gofer wanted at top football club. Involves attending to needs of overpaid Premiership stars. Requires thick skin, patience with players' wives and ability to get discounts on flash cars. Pay: a fraction of what your clients earn. Prospects: glamorous job, but endless running around.
‘Welcome to the world of player liaison officers, a new breed of football fixers which more and more top clubs are employing to act as personal problem-solvers to their prize assets. Charged with everything from replacing a lightbulb in a defender's home to arranging quarantine for a newly arrived foreign striker's pets, they are the players' latest luxury.
’Already standard fixtures at top clubs in Spain and Italy, these middlemen are becoming increasingly common here thanks to the growing number of foreign players and managers. Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool have one, as do Fulham, Everton and Manchester City, while Bolton Wanderers have two.
’While all players have an agent to negotiate their contract and sponsorship deals, they now also have a part-butler, part-personal organiser at the club whose role is to arrange them a house, golf match, flight, plumber or - for overseas players - a National Insurance number, TV licence or bank account.
’'I call myself a gofer. I look after the needs and demands of our players. If they want something done, I organise it', says Barry Moorhouse, the player liaison officer at Manchester United. 'Some people describe me as a Jim'll Fix It. I act as the first point of contact for anyone wanting a player, whether that's their dentist reminding them about an appointment or a sponsor expecting them at a promotional photo shoot.'
’At Manchester City the player liaison officer is a Moroccan, Layachi Bouskouchi, 53, a former caterer. He helps stars in the club's cosmopolitan squad, such as French duo Nicolas Anelka and Antoine Sibierski, get discounts on their BMWs, Mercedes Benz and Land-Rovers, finds them places to live and advises them which nightclubs are best to avoid.
'I had to take one player's wife to an antenatal clinic a few times as she didn't speak English and he was at training', said Bouskouchi, who speaks French, Spanish and Arabic.
'’But what many will see as the ultimate dream job has its downsides. 'Some players' wives can be very demanding,' said Bouskouchi. 'One became so disappointed after we looked at loads of houses, all of which she disliked, that she ended up saying "Take me to the airport, I don't want to live in Manchester".'
’Some players end up treating their liaison officer with thinly disguised contempt. One agent who represents several big names warns: 'Whoever does that job has to be ready to take the abuse that players give out. The liaison guy can get slaughtered by some of the players just because footballers do that with non-footballers.'