Former Manchester United Player Uses ChatGPT to Negotiate Football Contract

Ex Manchester United Player Uses ChatGPT to Negotiate Contract at New Club | AIM

Demetri Mitchell used the AI tool, and finalised a deal on his own while moving to Leyton Orient, from Exeter City FC. Former Manchester United football player Demetri Mitchell recently revealed how he used ChatGPT to negotiate a contract with his current football club, the London-based Leyton Orient. After exiting Exeter City Football Club, Mitchell was hunting for a new team. Speaking at an episode of the 'From My Left' podcast, Mitchell revealed that when he got an opportunity to sign a contract with the club this year, "I started using ChatGPT," said Mitchell. "Asking how to negotiate a deal, what to say in it..." Mitchell said he added details to the AI tool about his past experiences as a footballer, the cost of living he had to expect while living in London with his family. "An agent might have gotten me a couple [of] hundred [pounds] more," said Mitchell, while also adding that the fee he had to pay the agent would have 'eaten' up the difference anyway. "I had an awkward conversation with my agent that I won't be re-signing him," said Mitchell. Agents are responsible for communicating with clubs on behalf of the player to negotiate the terms of the contract. After several unsuccessful attempts at landing a new agent, Mitchell said he took matters into his own hands and sent text messages to coaches and managers. He eventually landed his message to Richhe Wellens, the head coach at Leyton Orient. After a round of conversation, Wellens said that the club's sporting director would reach out to Mitchell to negotiate a contract. The 28-year-old left back represented Manchester United from 2007 to 2020, both in the youth and the senior squad. He currently plays in the third division of English club football, League One. In a similar story, Fedor Gorst, the American pool player, revealed to The Sun that he uses ChatGPT to handle the mental aspects and pressures associated with the game. Gorst won the World Pool Masters in 2024.

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Mitchell began his career at Old Trafford, going on to make one league appearance for the club before spells at Hearts, Blackpool, Hibernian and Exeter City. This summer, the 28-year-old left Exeter to join Orient on a free transfer and has said he navigated the move without an agent, a largely unprecedented move in professional football. "They [Leyton Orient] sent me an offer, and I started using ChatGPT, asking it how to negotiate a deal, and what to say in it," Mitchell said on the From My Left podcast. "This is what I was on last season, moving to London, cost of living, missus is gonna move down with me, my little one. I did think I was worth a little bit more as well, but you don't want to be like that, 'Oh, yeah I think I should be worth an X amount.' "And then, also because I didn't use the agent, I get that [agent fee] as a signing-on fee. [An] agent might have got me a couple hundred pound more, because in these deals there's not loads of money going on, it's not big, big amounts. "So the agent might have got me a couple hundred more, and then the percent that I would have to pay them, the difference, is going to be eaten up anyway." Mitchell also launched a wider critique on agents in football and said that the options for representation open to lower-league footballers leaves a lot to be desired. "There's three types of agents," he said. - ChatGPT action figure trend takes on Messi, Ronaldo, more - Soccer looks to AI for an edge: Could an algorithm really predict injuries? "There's the agent that works for an agency, who's just getting a salary, then you got agent number two, who works for a big agency and they're trying to sign young, up-and-coming prospects and then once you're not one of them prospects anymore, they're not interested. "And then there's agent number three, the one that's got their own business, [that are] just money-hungry ... So they just want to get moves anywhere and anywhere fast. "When you're in the lower leagues, it's difficult to get a good agent, because that's all you've got to work with." Mitchell has played for England youth teams ranging from the Under-16s to U20s and made the preliminary 60-man squad for Jamaica ahead of the 2025 Gold Cup. He has made eight appearances at Brisbane road this season but is yet to get his first goal for the club.