'Gulf between top and bottom teams in Premier League'

The Pastorello name is steeped in Italian football tradition.

Giambattista Pastorello engineered the transformation of Parma's talented team of Benarrivo, Minotti, Di Chiara and Brolin into a genuine force in Italian and European football in the 90s.

For some time now, Pastorello has been holding the reins of Hellas Verona, currently struggling in the Serie B.

Upholding the family's football name, Andrea and Stefano, the two sons of Giambattista Pastorello, have established strong roots in Italian football and beyond by setting up a talent and management firm - Pastorello and Partners.

Boasting the likes of Mauro Camoranesi, Stefano Fiore, Carlo Cudicini and Laursen as prominent players in their portfolio, the reputation of Pastorello and Partners has been growing rapidly. Evidence of this came at the end of last season when Andrea Pastorello was voted best football agent in Italy.

FIFA agents dealing with the big names of European football normally show scant interest in 'run-of-the-mill' players plying their trade outside the elite leagues, never mind tiny Malta.

Yet, Mauro Di Lello's positive impact on the Maltese Premier League alerted Pastorello and Stefano Pace, another FIFA agent working for the P&P company, who set foot on the island last weekend.

The primary aim of their visit was to hold discussions with Di Lello, 26. While they were here, they also watched the five matches on the last Premier League weekend.

"We came here to see what Maltese football has to offer," Pastorello told me when I met him for an interview at the Portomaso Resort.

"Our business entails a lot of travelling around the world to watch football and meet players. Mauro is a player we have been interested in working with for some time now. He's the main reason why we have come to Malta."

The timing of the visit of Pastorello and Pace was anything but perfect from a local point-of-view, given that the bulk of the league-closing matches had little at stake.

"There is a vast gulf on the technical level between the top teams and those in the bottom half of the standings. To be honest, my impressions of Maltese football confirmed the expectations I had before my visit here. I did not anticipate to find a high technical level of football given the low population and comparing it to the strengths of possibly the best league in the world.

"Having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed Sliema vs Birkirkara. The level of football expressed by the strongest teams in Malta was more than satisfactory."

During their three-day stay in Malta, Pastorello and Pace also held talks with Edward Schembri, the president of Pietà Hotspurs. Of all the young players Pastorello has had the opportunity to watch, Pietà's Cleaven Frendo left the best impression.

"At 19 years of age, Frendo is an interesting player. He displayed good technical qualities and a good vision of the game."

How will Malta's new status as EU member country affect our football?

"Malta's accession to the EU should benefit its football, if not by helping the game to become more in line with that of the main European countries.

"It is also paramount that Maltese football guards against a likely huge inflow of foreign players as I'm pretty convinced that Malta could easily become an attractive football destination for out-of-contract players who have played up to Serie C1 level in Italy."

Young Maltese players should also find it easier to land a contract abroad, now that they enjoy the same freedom-of-movement rights as their European counterparts. Pastorello has yet to be convinced of the country's potential to export a significant number of its football talent overseas.

"The potential of Maltese footballers to break through to the top leagues is not very high. The football authorities here have to work a lot with young players.

"I have been impressed by the strong character and determination of Andrew Hogg, currently at Bari. He is technically gifted and that's an important factor for a goalkeeper which is one of the most difficult roles in the game."

What future does Pastorello envisage for the Malta U-21 goalkeeper?

"I wouldn't not place a limit on his prospects... Hogg has a bright future ahead of him but all will depend on his progress in the next few years."

Up to a few years ago, football agents were generally perceived as 'greedy' persons whose interference in players' careers was having a destabilising effect on the game. Yet, their ever-growing importance in the modern game prompted FIFA to recognise and regulate their role.

Nowadays, only FIFA-licensed agents are allowed to represent players and clubs in transfer moves.

While the number of agents has swollen over the past few years, finances in football have dwindled drastically due to a combination of clubs' mismanagement and diminishing income from TV rights.

In Italy, the situation is precarious with many clubs standing on the brink of bankruptcy, never mind the nationwide fraud into their finances launched earlier this season.

All this is bad news for agents as less money means less buyers in the transfer market. Pastorello is not too concerned.

"Our focus is not just on luring the established players but we also work with a lot of emerging youngsters. Working with players who form part of Italy's youth selections gives us the chance to work on their development and promote their careers in the best way possible.

"Thanks to this emphasis on young players, we have not been hit hard by the repercussions caused by the current crisis," Pastorello remarked.

Low transfer activity

"The transfer market is going to be very difficult this summer because of the great financial difficulties hampering the clubs. Transfer activity will mostly comprise player-exchanges, loan deals and co-ownership of players. Monetary transactions between clubs will be few and far between."

The outlook seems bleak but the Abramovichs, Perezs and Berlusconis are still expected to spend a small part of their personal wealth to bring in new players.

Many popular names have been bandied around as desired transfer targets but who are the most wanted players?

"Francesco Totti is desired by virtually all of the European heavyweights," Pastorello said.

"Totti is also every agent's dream because he is the only genuine top-class player who can move. Andriy Shevchenko, the Milan striker, is also a target for many a club but Milan have placed an untouchable tag on the Ukrainian.

"Even Roma have repeatedly refuted talk of a Totti move but given the club's strained financial position, many believe that Roma will be tempted to do business if they receive a really lucrative offer," Pastorello said.