'Signing Seixas when you already have Pogačar is ostentatious behaviour' – Lefevere hits out at UAE Team Emirates-XRG and rider agents amid speculation over 19-year-old's future

Patrick Lefevere, the long-serving former manager of Soudal-QuickStep, has publicly criticised UAE Team Emirates-XRG and rider agents, specifically regarding speculation surrounding the future of 19-year-old French talent Paul Seixas. In his recent *Nieuwsblad* column, Lefevere stated that signing Seixas while already possessing Tadej Pogačar was "ostentatious behaviour," expressing a hope that Seixas ultimately joins any team *except* UAE. This intervention highlights ongoing tensions in the transfer market.

Lefevere's comments underscore a persistent frustration among established team managers regarding the perceived aggressive recruitment tactics of financially robust outfits like UAE Team Emirates. His career-long emphasis on developing young talent, often on more modest budgets, contrasts sharply with the 'super team' model. This latest broadside also reflects a broader industry debate about agent influence and the escalating costs of securing promising juniors, potentially distorting the market and limiting opportunities for smaller teams to nurture future stars.

Ultimately, Lefevere's lament is less about Seixas himself and more a thinly veiled jab at the financial might and perceived avarice of modern cycling's dominant forces. Some things, it seems, never change.