Get the FREE Mirror Football newsletter by email with the day's key headlines and transfer news Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Football Agent and scout Barry McIntosh has helped bring numerous South American talent to the Premier League including Mauro Zarate and Christian Benitez.

Here he tells Mirror.co.uk how Colombian man of the moment James Rodriguez nearly signed for Birmingham in 2008 and why the Premier League will continue to miss out on emerging foreign talent.

"James Rodriguez has lit up this World Cup for Colombia to fulfil the huge potential he showed as a kid when Birmingham nearly signed him for just £3million.

I scouted him in 2007 at the World U17 championships and personally recommended him to Birmingham's then co-owner David Sullivan.

A £3million deal was proposed in January 2008 when Alex McLeish was manager.

But it was aborted due to the huge problems getting the player a UK work permit.

It is very frustrating now we have all seen what has hatched from such a fine egg!

I recommended Rodriguez but he went to the Argentine league instead to play for Banfield which is usually an indication of a highly promising player as Argentine clubs only bring in exceptional players from abroad.

But sadly plans to bring Rodriguez to the Premier League were blown by red tape and I fear we will continue to miss out on similar talents in future.

(Image: Getty)

The work permit rules are currently so strict, hypothetically even Lionel Messi could not get one here at the time he signed for Barcelona.

Let's be realistic, how many players of 16, 17 or 18 years of age are going to play for their full national team for 75 percent of the matches in the last two years?

But Rodriguez has always stood out, even at a small club as Banfield, with his natural ability.

He has very good pace and superb vision to see opportunities before other players. He is a team player who is good individually and good collectively.

He is naturally left-footed but can score any type of goal from the spectacular to the simple. He can beat three or four people and then make a good pass as opposed to some players who beat players and then lose the ball.

It is no coincidence compatriot Radamal Falcao - another player I scouted and recommended to Birmingham when he was available for just €3.5m - started to score a lot more goals for Colombia when Rodriguez was in the side.

Falcao nearly joined Blues too as Sullivan has always been an open-minded chairman willing to consider players from South America.

But the big problem in England is the difficultly getting work permits for players from outside the EU if they are not established internationals.

(Image: Christof Koepsel)

This is only going to get tougher now FA chairman Greg Dyke wants to make the criteria harder for fear foreign players are hindering British talent.

England is losing ground to European rivals with this attitude.

Other countries like Portugal and Spain are not so stubborn about handing out permits or passports to promising talent who they bring into the country on the cheap before turning them into superstars worth £30-40million.

Instead you get the likes of Rodriguez going to Porto and Angel Di Maria to Benfica, Sergio Aguero to Atletico Madrid and Falcao to Porto.

So the Premier League's loss is other countries and leagues' gain.

While our clubs end up eventually paying top whack for the finished article when they could have nurtured the likes of Rodriguez from a teenager.

People say the work permit rules are necessary to help protect the England national team but it is hardly working judging by this year's disastrous World Cup.

If they really want to improve the national team, our starlets should play regularly for their country in tournaments at younger ages.

Because that is what Rodriguez did and both him and Colombia are now reaping the benefits."