English Premier League: How Much Say Do the Players Really Have in Transfers?

The transfer window in the footballing calender is one of the most exciting times. There are always surprises, with the fans of one club or the other taken by shock by one of the better players forcing a move away from their club. 

But how much power do the players really have in the transfers? 

Often, the cases highlighted in the media are those where the players successfully force a move away from their clubs - either through back door negotiations or in case of desperation, by handing in a transfer request. 

Every transfer window see examples of such types of transfers, and this transfer window was no different.

Darren Bent made his intention about leaving Sunderland quite clear and though he was an important player, the club had to decide to cash in on him. Fernando Torres, buoyed by a bid from Chelsea, decided to take the more decisive approach by handing in a transfer request, almost forcing the club to sell him. 

However, there have been cases in a greater number this year where even a transfer request has not been enough to get a player out of a club. 

The more famous one was the Carlos Tevez saga, where he claimed a breakdown with the club officials which was later resolved, and he stayed.

The case of Charlie Adam is even more interesting. He probably had the opportunity of his lifetime when Liverpool expressed an interest in signing him. Now, if this was the summer transfer window, where the number of players available is higher and the prices more realistically, Charlie Adam might not have been in such demand. 

Big clubs generally don't go all out to sign a player from a small team. If Blackpool are relegated this season, God forbid, Charlie Adam might have to play the rest of his career in the Championship. 

On Blackpool's part, they realised the importance of Adam to the club staying in the Premier League and played hardball. Though, no one knows what really happened behind the scenes, the situation definitely was interesting with Manchester United also being linked and Harry Redknapp commenting that he was minutes away from signing the midfielder to Teootenham. The ultimate loser in the whole episode is Adam.  

Now some transfer requests are bargaining chips played by players to get a better deal at the club. Most people believe that was the case of Wayne Rooney and John Terry, though there were no official transfer requests, who just wannted to get better deals rather than leave their respective clubs. 

Now this transfer window also brought into focus, another type of transfer. One where the player did not want to leave, but the club, obviously tempted by the huge transfer fee being offered, forced the player to put in a transfer request.

Yes, the case being that of Andy Carroll.

With so much money being splashed around, players have started moving to clubs against their wishes. I do not intend to say that Andy Carroll will play with any less passion while at Liverpool or will not play with 100 percent commitment. It is just that he was comfortable at Newcastle and would have been happy to stay.

So, when the fans say that the player is at fault for forcing moves through, they need to remember there might be people in the club who are capable of getting the player to stay. It can be a decisive manager like Alex Ferguson or Arsene Wenger, the officials running the club, or in case of clubs like Chelsea or Manchester City, the owners.  

Being a Liverpool fan, I believe the club has almost seen everything in terms of transfers with the club being both at the giving and receiving end. 

Players like Javier Mascherano and Torres forced their way out of the club. A player like Xabi Alonso, due to a fall out with the manager, left. However, the club 's marquee signing, Luis Suarez, did the same with Ajax, where the player's wishes were also instrumental in getting the transfer deal done. The cases of Andy Carroll and Charlie Adam have already been discussed.

So, in conclusion, one can say the players does not possess sole power in the case of transfers. The real power rests - whether with the player or with the club - is on a case to case basis. Sometimes, the club is able to override the wishes of the player and sometimes a player is able to leave against the wishes of the club. 

One thing is for sure, the transfer market will never be dull, especially as long as the EPL is involved in it.