Erik ten Hag's agent hits back at 'questions of integrity' ahead of court case
- Kees Vos to appear in Dutch court of appeal over case against Inter's Stefan de Vrij
- SEG agency accused of making Netherlands international unaware of transfer commission in 2018
- Vos has recently been criticised for his supposed involvement in Man Utd transfers
By Sean Walsh
The agent of Erik ten Hag claims he is "hurt" that people question his character as he prepares for a court case with Netherlands defender Stefan de Vrij.
Kees Vos and his SEG agency will appear in the Dutch court of appeal as they look to overturn the outcome of a civil case which ruled they had not made De Vrij aware of the €9.5m commission they received upon his free transfer to Inter back in 2018. The case will be heard in December.
In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Vos - who has been criticised for his involvement in Manchester United's dealings since Ten Hag became manager in 2022 - protested his innocence and admitted he has been offended by such allegations.
"It hurts that people question my integrity," Vos said. "That is the only thing I have in life. Money is money and this is just a discussion in which somebody wants more. You can have the talk about that - no problem - but if you start questioning my integrity then you come to my core. I didn't do anything wrong, so it is frustrating.
"We did an amazing deal and it sounds weird but I think he [De Vrij] should be very thankful to me. It was a five-year deal. His club [Lazio] offered him a one-year deal on €2m net and he could sign a five-year deal on €4m net and [a potential] €1m bonuses at Inter which is a bigger name and in the Champions League. It was an amazing achievement. The first year he was very happy. He was crying all the way to the bank."
Vos' influence at United came under the microscope back in September when reports suggested club figures were concerned about some of the deals he had been involved in after Ten Hag's arrival.
SEG have in-part played a role in £178m worth of incoming transfers during the Ten Hag era, including the signings of Rasmus Hojlund and Sofyan Amrabat this summer.
Speaking after these reports came out, Ten Hag hit back at suggestions that Vos was having a say regarding United's transfer targets.
"It can't be, because we make very good agreements about it from the start," Ten Hag said at the time.
"How we cooperate in that manner, for player decisions, transfers, it's always 50-50. We both have a veto, the club, represented by [football director] John Murtough, and me. So there can never be a distraction."
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