Fools and their money will not be parted thanks to new venture

When he isn’t playing as part of a defence that earned a relegation-worthy -29 goal difference last season, Andrew Taylor enjoys the finer things in life: fast cars, dazzling jewelery and high end audio systems.

Unfortunately, a penchant for premium quality products has left the 23-year-old and several of his football colleagues with slightly less of their humongous disposable incomes, thanks to the kind of shysters who try to exploit vulnerable young men whose bank balances far outweigh their connection with the real world. (A sportscar dealer, for example, will have no qualms slapping an extra £10,000 on a £200,000 if he believes the well-remunerated customer will be oblivious to the price hike.)

In order to help the UK’s 4,000 professional footballers avoid getting ripped off in this manner, Taylor is about to launch an invitation-only website called Platinum Players. The site will list companies that offer “luxury lifestyle products” (cars, gadgets, hotels, underwater dog treadmills) and also financial advisers and lawyers who are deemed “trustworthy”.