Top Premier League clubs are investing in dedicated care teams to help players and their families adjust to life in the UK. The initiative aims to prevent players from wanting to leave due to unhappy partners, with bosses concerned that bored or dissatisfied spouses can affect performance.
Player care expert Hugo Scheckter, who has worked at West Ham and Brentford, said his primary role involves looking after players' wellbeing, which often extends to their partners and families. He noted that at Premier League level, few partners work, leaving them without purpose. "We see it more and more where the player is really happy, but the partner or the family aren't, and so we're seeing clubs invest more into family programs," he said.
Some WAGs have publicly complained about life in the UK. Ilkay Gundogan's wife Sara criticised Manchester's food, saying she struggled to find good restaurants. Meanwhile, Angel Di Maria's wife Jorgelina Cardoso said Manchester made her want to kill herself, describing the city as "horrible" and the people as "weird".
Scheckter, who founded the Player Care Group in 2020, stressed the growing understanding that mental wellbeing is crucial to performance. "We want to take away the burden of stresses associated with everyday life as much as we can so players can focus on training and matches," he explained.
Player care covers everything outside football and medical needs, including personal development, welfare support, and operational matters like relocations. Scheckter said the aim is to remove stress from players' lives, allowing them to concentrate on their sport.
