Players have become increasingly powerful in modern football and there is no better example than the transfer window.
Every summer, clubs from across the world are held to ransom by their own employees, forced to sell their prized assets when players decide they want to leave. Unsolicited interviews, strikes and social media posts are all contemporary tactics for forcing an exit, with clubs seldom able to combat player power.
A formal or informal transfer request is often the beginning of the end and usually has the desired effect for players, with plenty of high-profile instances of the tactic being employed both successfully and unsuccessfully over the years.
Here are some of the most shocking transfer requests ever.
Steven Gerrard (2005)
It’s hard to conceive of a player more fiercely loyal to Liverpool than Steven Gerrard, but the summer of 2005 almost saw the midfielder’s career head in a very, very different direction.
The Liverpool skipper had already established himself as a hero on Merseyside after guiding the club to the most famous of Champions League final victories—the Reds overcoming a three-goal half-time deficit to beat Milan on penalties in Istanbul in 2004–05. However, amid a contract standoff between Gerrard and Liverpool, the door opened to other possibilities.
Unhappy with how the Reds were conducting themselves in contract negotiations, Gerrard handed in a shock transfer request in July, 2005. Supporters were furious and the club stunned, with Chelsea soon lodging a £32 million bid for the then 25-year-old.
It was swiftly rejected and Gerrard soon opted against leaving Anfield under the scrutiny of fan backlash, instead committing to a new deal that would ensure his Liverpool legacy stayed firmly intact.
William Gallas (2006)
Few relationships have turned quite as sour as the one between Chelsea and William Gallas. The Frenchman joined the Blues from Marseille in 2001 and spent five years with the club before demanding an improved contract in the summer of 2006.
The defender decided to strike in an attempt to manipulate his employers, eventually choosing to pursue a move to Chelsea’s fierce rivals Arsenal. After eventually allowing his transfer to the Gunners, the Blues released a statement revealing that Gallas had threatened to score an own goal or get a red card if he was forced to turn out for the club again.
Gallas denied the accusations and ended up representing Arsenal for four years, before leaving for their neighbours Tottenham Hotspur in 2010 on a free transfer. He was reportedly offered a new Arsenal contract but turned it down, with the club’s chairman at the time, Peter Hill-Wood, describing his demands as “quite extravagant”.
Wayne Rooney (2010 & 2013)
Despite claiming that he never formally handed in a transfer request, Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney spoke publicly about his desire to leave the Red Devils in 2010. He revealed he would not sign a new contract with the club as he wasn’t offered assurances over their ambitions in the transfer market.
However, Rooney ultimately decided against leaving and penned a five-year extension shortly after his critique of United’s transfer policy, proceeding to win the Premier League title with the club in two of the next three seasons.
But the drama wasn’t done there. After a falling out with Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, shortly before the legendary United manager’s retirement, Rooney decided he wanted to leave Old Trafford once again. Chelsea even tabled a £20 million bid for the England international, but were rebuffed in their approach. Arsenal and Real Madrid were other interested parties.
David Moyes insisted that Rooney wasn’t for sale after he succeeded Ferguson, with the forward ultimately continuing at Old Trafford for another four years before returning to Everton.
Raheem Sterling (2015)
Raheem Sterling emerged as a superstar from Liverpool’s academy and was integral in the club’s surprise push for the Premier League title in 2013–14, but the forward decided to pursue pastures greener in 2015.
Sterling conduced a 27-minute BBC interview without the club’s permission in April, 2015, in which he admitted he had turned down a new contract offer from Liverpool and was flattered by interest from Arsenal. The player’s agent then revealed that no amount of money could convince his client to stay at Anfield as tensions rose.
Sterling asked to be left out of Liverpool’s pre-season tour of Asia to focus on engineering a move elsewhere and, eventually, he did secure his desired departure. The forward joined Manchester City for just shy of £50 million, burning all bridges with the Reds and their supporters in the process.
Alexander Isak (2025)
In a summer of high-profile transfers and lengthy sagas, Alexander Isak’s future was the focal point. The ex-Newcastle United striker had his head turned by interest from Liverpool in mid-July, with the Reds making an informal approach for the Sweden international.
However, the Magpies were adamant that Isak was not for sale and Liverpool turned their attention to other targets, signing Hugo Ekitiké—a player wanted by Newcastle—for £79 million. Shortly after the Reds signed the Frenchman, Isak revealed his desire to leave St James’ Park over the summer, with Liverpool the only club he wanted to join.
Newcastle insisted that Isak would not depart and the player went into exile, eventually releasing a shock statement in which he claimed the Magpies had broken their promises over his future. The club rejected the 25-year-old’s comments, once again closing the door to his exit.
But Newcastle were eventually pushed to their limit and knew they needed to cash in on Isak to preserve his value. They quickly signed replacement strikers in Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa before sanctioning Isak’s Premier League record £125 million transfer to Liverpool.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as The Five Most Shocking Transfer Requests Ever in Football.