Of course, Olunga’s deal was all about money and the agent smiling all the way to the bank

I cannot really point out the reason.

Perhaps it could be that we are not allowed to go to the stadium to watch matches. Or it is because we have spent almost a year in social isolation, and are craving for human interaction on whatever platform.

Or maybe it is because, with so many social media sites at the disposal of any Tom, Dick and Harry with an electronic gadget and bundles, all voices -- sensible or otherwise -- can be heard in the public sphere.

Or it really merited the reaction.

What am I talking about? Of all the football transfers involving Kenyan players none has elicited as much reaction as that of Michael Olunga from Kashiwa Reysol of the J1 League to Qatar Star League’s Al Duhail for Sh890 million.

Not even Victory Mugabe’s historic move from Scottish giants Celtic to English Premier League side Southampton in 2013 or his even more famous transfer to perennial league title contenders Tottenham Hotspur three years later after much speculation.

I remember the chatter leading up to the high profile transfer of MacDonald Mariga from Parma to European big boys Inter Milan in 2010 and reactions thereafter.

We talked about Dennis Oliech’s transfer way back in 2005 from Al Arabi of Qatar to French Ligue One side Nantes, as he became the first Kenyan to feature in one of Europe’s big five football leagues.

Still the opinions stated then and their diversity spectacularly pale in comparison to what Olunga’s move from the Far East to the Middle East has elicited.

I still stand by my opinion that he should have gone to Europe rather than the Arabian Gulf to chase his dream.

Others, many actually, have averred that going to Qatar was the best decision he would have made purely because he was doubling his salary, and at the end of the day, it is all about his personal financial benefit.

I will not dwell further on this but look at a related topic that is often never spoken about: the shadowy world of the football transfer market and the money-hungry player agents.

From my personal observation, it is never much about the player’s interest per se as how much the football agent will earn.

Small wonder in the football world, the constant movement of a professional player from one club to another despite being under contract is the norm rather than the exception.

Examples are legion here in Kenya. Allan Wanga moving from AFC Leopards in 2014 in the middle of the league season to El Mereikh of Sudan. Meddie Kagere leaving Gor Mahia in 2018 bang in the middle of the Confed Cup group stage campaign to join Simba of Tanzania.

Dennis Oliech suddenly left Mathare United in 2003 for Al Arabi of Qatar and even interrupted his KCSE studies to chase after his football fame and fortune. His main agent then was a top federation official with other peripheral actors in the mix.

We have seen in Europe big transfers negotiated as players end their contracts with one club to move to another with the regularity of Elvis Rupia banging in the goals for AFC Leopards. 

Brazilian superstar Neymar’s move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017on a five-year contract is a case in point. It was the world’s most expensive transfer at $350 million (Sh38.5 billion).

The contract binds him to the Parisian club until June next year but there is already talk of him moving elsewhere.

France international Paul Pogba joined United from Juventus for a then world record fee of £89m (Sh13.3 billion) in 2016.

His contract expires next year but there has been constant talk of him re-signing for the Italian club or going to Real Madrid with his agent Mino Raiola throwing in hints here and there.

According to Fifa, 15,000 football professionals moved across countries in 2020.

The huge transfer fees spent -- £6 billion (Sh897 billion) in the 2019 summer transfer window -- with the agents getting their cut (often 10 per cent), is what makes the football market stand out. 

Moreover, this business of being a football agent is seemingly so lucrative, national football administrators, club officials, “hustlers” and even sports journalists are involved.

No wonder Frenchman Marc Madiot, manager of UCI World Tour cycling team Groupama-FDJ,  responded with outrage recently to the news that football “super-agent” Jorge Mendes was venturing into professional cycling.

Mendes, a Portuguese, has handled big transfers involving Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani, Ricardo Carvalho, Pepe, Angel de Maria and Diego Costa, just to name a few.

Cycling website cyclingnews.com quoted Madiot thus: “I don’t want the football system. The system of agents in football, what’s that? It’s having a portfolio of players and making them move as often as possible in order to go to the bank as often as possible.”

I would not have put it more succinctly.

So, as we continue debating the merits and demerits of Olunga’s move to the Persian Gulf, his agent will likely be scheming the next transfer, and another visit to the bank while smiling like a table-topping Manchester United fan.