Downing tools: the Premier League's most infamous attempted forced exits

The Guardian

5 hours ago

Following Alexander Isak's decision to post an incendiary message on Instagram as part of his increasingly bitter attempt to force an exit from Newcastle, we look at how some others Premier League players have tried to inflict bitter breakups on their employers. Some were successful, some were not.
Van Hooijdonk led Nottingham Forest to Premier League promotion in 1997-98 by scoring 29 goals in 42 league games. Yet where there should have subsequently been optimism, things soured as the Netherlands striker became increasingly upset with the club's inability to strengthen in the market, while also selling key players in Kevin Campbell and Colin Cooper. He returned to the Netherlands in August after a transfer request was turned down, going on strike to display his irritation. Van Hooijdonk stayed fit by training with his former club NAC Breda, eventually returning to the City Ground in November to end the standoff. Forest finished bottom, were relegated and did not return to the Premier League for 23 years.
Chelsea released a statement claiming Gallas had threatened to score own goals if was selected for the 2006-07 season opener against Manchester City and refused to play in an FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool as part of his attempts to leave the club, which he ultimately did on deadline day in September 2006, sealing a move to Arsenal. The Frenchman denied Chelsea's accusations, saying: 'If people want to hide behind false accusations in order to give a reason for why I left so they can calm down the club's supporters then they can.' Whatever the case, the defender got his way, with his switch to the Emirates allowing Ashley Cole to travel in the opposite direction.
Berbatov wanted to live his 'dream' of moving to Manchester United, but there was a problem: Tottenham did not want to sell him. Juande Ramos, the Spurs manager, called in Berbatov for a meeting to discuss the Bulgarian's future and it resulted with him being left out of the squad for a 2-1 defeat by Sunderland in August 2008. Ramos said the striker was not 'focused enough' and would not 'be good for the dressing room and the team effort'. Berbatov eventually got his way and a £31m deal was agreed with United, allowing him to make his much-desired move to Old Trafford on deadline day.
The problems for Manchester City began when Tevez did not fancy warming up in a Champions League game at Bayern Munich in September 2011, subsequently feeling the full wrath of the manager, Roberto Mancini, who had no hesitation in declaring the Argentinian 'finished' at the club. The two had never been close but the spat ended the relationship for good, with fuel thrown on to the bonfire by Tevez's agent. 'What is he apologising for?' Kia Joorabchian asked. 'It's almost like a false: 'I'm sorry.' He doesn't believe, deep down, that he did anything wrong.' Tevez's elected sabbatical in Argentina cost him £9.3m. In February he came back and apologised after a move to one of Milan, Inter and Paris Saint-Germain failed to materialise.
Sometimes it is best to take the route-one approach, unless, that is, there are TV cameras around and your desired transfer does not go through. Few will forget the sight of Odemwingie parked outside Loftus Road as he tried to seal a move from West Brom to QPR on deadline day in 2013. The Nigerian assumed a deal had been agreed but, unfortunately for him, that was not the case, leaving him with little else to do but chat with Sky Sports News via the window of his car before eventually driving back to the Midlands. 'It was hard because I was angry and it was a really tough period to go through,' Odemwingie said as he recounted the incident to the Guardian in 2024. 'It was very embarrassing in many ways.'
Berahino was hot property after scoring an impressive 20 goals for West Brom in the 2014-15 season. Mauricio Pochettino was desperate to bring the striker to Tottenham and two offers were made, both subsequently turned down by West Brom's chairman Jeremy Peace. Berahino reacted by tweeting he would never play for Peace again before going on strike. He was clearly desperate to join Spurs, but his furious attempts at doing so did not work. West Brom, and Peace in particular, dug in, and the player remained where he was, eventually moving to Stoke in 2017. The 32-year-old is currently unattached after a spell in Slovenia with Tabor Sezana. Any interest, Thomas Frank?
Payet is proof that downing tools can speed up a player's exit. The Frenchman wanted to leave West Ham in January 2017 in order to complete a move to Marseille, so stopped coming to training and refused to play for a club where he had been the undoubted star during the previous season. Payet's teammates did not like his attitude, so kicked him out of their WhatsApp group, while Slaven Bilic, West Ham's manager at the time, made it clear that Payet was still part of his plans. 'We do not want to sell him,' he said. 'We have said hundreds of times that we do not want to sell our best players. We want to keep them.' None of that made a difference, with Payet sealing a £25m transfer to the south of France at the end of the month.
They say you should never go back, and that proved to be the case following Ronaldo's surprise return to Old Trafford in 2021. Quite simply, the move was a disaster, with the Portuguese superstar simply not the player he once was. Going on to suffer an almighty fallout with Erik ten Hag was another problem. He left the stadium after being substituted in a pre-season friendly against Rayo Vallecano, twice refused to go on before walking down the tunnel in a match against Tottenham and then sat down to do that interview with Piers Morgan, in which he claimed to have been 'betrayed' by the club. There was no way back after that and Ronaldo soon joined the Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr, where he remains to this day, happier and much, much richer.