There are probably only a handful of players in the A-League, certainly under the age of 30, who would not jump at the chance to move overseas to improve their pay or career prospects.

Fair enough. No one in their right mind would pretend that the domestic competition, improving as it is, is close to the top of the pyramid. Any young players with the ability and ambition to represent their country would certainly want to secure a move to one of Asia's better leagues or a competitive European one if they could use that to help promote their careers.

Stand-off: Melbourne Victory are playing hardball with J-League club Cerezo over the services of midfielder Mitch Nichols. Credit:Getty Images

While the A-League playing standard might well be better than in some Asian countries where the wages for foreigners are higher, salaries will, for most players, be the key determinant: not many of us would turn down the chance to double or triple our pay for doing the same job in the same or sometimes a less demanding environment for a few years, even if it meant moving somewhere where we didn't particularly want to live.

It's all fine when a move is in the interests of the club and player. On those happy occasions everyone benefits. The player gets the move he wants and the club, if it's lucky, picks up a transfer fee or, if the player is out of contract, a development compensation package if he is still young.