[ad_pod ]

This article is part of Football FanCast's Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba's haircuts to League Two relegation battles...

Agents play a huge role in modern-day football.

Premier League clubs paid out a total sum of £260m to the men who broker some of the biggest transfer deals in football last year, and their influence on the game is growing with every passing day.

One man dubbed a 'super-agent' goes by the name of Mino Raiola, and his determination to grant his clients' wishes often rubs clubs up the wrong way. The Guardian recently ran an article calling Raiola "a player's dream and a manager's nightmare" - it is hard to argue with that statement.

The 51-year-old represents some of Europe's most stellar names, such as Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Matthijs de Ligt, and he is keen to get his hands on another star in Crystal Palace talisman Wilfried Zaha.

The Ivorian is keen to leave Selhurst Park and recently parted ways with his agent Will Salthouse after failing to secure a move away from SE25, and Raiola is reportedly keen to get involved with the mercurial forward.

If that were to happen, the Eagles would be in for a tough time in regards to keeping the forward with 53 Palace goals to his name.

The Italian-born Dutchman is a controversial figure detested by some of the game's biggest figures, such as Pep Guardiola and Sir Alex Ferguson.

Raiola is more than an agent to his players. With Pogba, he regards the Frenchman as "family" rather than a mere client, and even if he does fail to get his stars their move away, he always seems to cause a media frenzy around the situation - you only have to look at how much publicity Pogba got this summer regarding an Old Trafford exit.

When one of the game's most respectable figures in Ferguson isn't a fan of the man, you just know that the super-agent would cause trouble for Palace in regards to their hopes of keeping Zaha.

There would be plenty of soundbites, one would believe, and lots of attention focused on the former Manchester United man.

Any move, indeed, would not come about quietly. Palace had better hope Raiola keeps his hands off their prized asset.