Changes to rules regarding football agents could leave young players on the English pyramid a risk of “exploitation”, according to a top agent.

The former licensing system for agents – a global system implemented by Fifa – ended on 1 April and is now under a new system where individual countries supervise agents. In England, someone with an “impeccable reputation” can now pay £500 to register with the Football Association as an ‘intermediary’, meaning the system is now more open.

Speaking to BBC Sport, David Seligman, a football agent and lawyer specialising in crime and sports law, said that exploitation would be an “obvious problem.”

He said: "If you're a 16- or 17-year-old lad and you've got two people trying to sign you, are you going to sign with the middle-aged lawyer, who knows the rules and regulations inside out and will negotiate a deal properly? Or are you going to sign with the guy who doesn't know the rules and regulations but will take you out clubbing, buy the watches and drive the nice cars?"

Seligman, who represents several players in the football league, added that the new system means a player could end up signing with somebody unqualified to be an agent, causing problems further down the line.

Fifa argues that the system will offer more transparency, though the Association of Football Agents (AFA) has said the deregulation will lead to “anarchy”, creating a “Wild West” of agents, as the previous system required prospective agents to have to pass an exam.

Seligman’s comments echo that of AFA chair Mel Stein, who told The Guardian that the new system means “a bloke in the pub” could now offer to represent football players.