There are many ways to force a transfer but one golden rule has to be observed. “What you must never do is get an owner angry. Once a billionaire owner says, ‘He’s not for sale’, you are dead. Deal. Does. Not. Happen.”



The agent who is talking to The Athletic represents some of the biggest names in the game. “I don’t mind a manager or a CEO saying ‘not for sale’,” he adds, smiling. “But if an owner says it, you ain’t going nowhere because their own credibility is on the line and they don’t want to be embarrassed.”



Upsetting anybody else is seen as fair game. Part of the game, in fact. It’s how transfers — very few of which are straightforward — get done. “If you can’t find a solution, you do whatever is necessary to get out,” another agent adds. “‘I’m not playing’, tossing it off in training, bad body language, not putting the...