Troubleshooter, say, to admire, flexible (8)
I believe the answer is:
mediator
'troubleshooter' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'to admire flexible' is the wordplay.
'flexible' indicates an anagram (the word is bent into a new form).
'to'+'admire'='toadmire'
'toadmire' with letters rearranged gives 'MEDIATOR'.
'say' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for mediator that I've seen before include "peacemaker" , "Negotiator between opposing parties" , "An honest broker" , "One intervening to settle a dispute" , "One seeking to reconcile opponents" .)