West Bromwich Albion forward Hal Robson-Kanu agreed. His older brother, David, helped him navigate the pivotal summer of his career in 2016, when, out of contract, he turned a strong performance for Wales at the European Championships in France into a move to the Premier League. Robson-Kanu said that the personal connection — as well as prior experiences with agents who he felt placed their interests ahead of his — was important to him, but that if his brother had not passed the earlier version of the agents’ exam, he would not have employed him purely on family ties.

“Being in a position where you are on a free transfer, where, really, you have to trust the word of who you are entering into an engagement with, it was key for someone like my brother to be overseeing that,” Robson-Kanu said. “Would I have trusted other agents out there? Probably not.”

But with a system that now puts super agents such as Jorge Mendes and Mino Raiola on the same list as a family member who has merely registered online, the line defining the role played by an “agent” — and the experience required to fill that role — has blurred.

For Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli, it was essential that a family member became the point person when he signed with a major agency in 2017. At age 13, Dele Alli had moved into the home of Alan and Sally Hickford, whose son Harry was one of his youth teammates at Milton Keynes Dons. He has since referred to the Hickfords as his adopted family, and has empowered Harry, whom he refers to as his brother, to serve as his main representative.

“One of the huge advantages was, as I’m his brother, Dele would always be completely honest with me about vocalizing any issues or concerns,” said Harry Hickford, who registered as an intermediary. “Another huge benefit to having such a close relationship with him is that you are able to read in between the lines and understand his moods and emotions, even if nothing is explicitly being said.”