Downing Tools: The Premier League’s Most Infamous Attempted Forced Exits

Following Alexander Isak’s determination to post an incendiary connection connected Instagram arsenic portion of his progressively bitter effort to unit an exit from Newcastle, we look astatine really immoderate others Premier League players person tried to inflict bitter breakups connected their employers. Some were successful, immoderate were not.

Pierre van Hooijdonk

Van Hooijdonk led Nottingham Forest to Premier League promotion successful 1997-98 by scoring 29 goals successful 42 convention games. Yet wherever location should person subsequently been optimism, things soured arsenic nan Netherlands striker became progressively upset pinch nan club’s inability to fortify successful nan market, while besides trading cardinal players successful Kevin Campbell and Colin Cooper. He returned to nan Netherlands successful August aft a transportation petition was turned down, going connected onslaught to show his irritation. Van Hooijdonk stayed fresh by training pinch his erstwhile nine NAC Breda, yet returning to nan City Ground successful November to extremity nan standoff. Forest vanished bottom, were relegated and did not return to nan Premier League for different 23 years.

Pierre van Hooijdonk burnt his bridges astatine nan City Ground. Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/ALLSPORT

William Gallas

Chelsea released a connection claiming Gallas had threatened to people ain goals if was selected for nan 2006-07 play opener against Manchester City and refused to play successful an FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool arsenic portion of his attempts to time off nan club, which he yet did connected deadline time successful September 2006, sealing a move to Arsenal. The Frenchman denied Chelsea’s accusations, saying: “If group want to hide down mendacious accusations successful bid to springiness a logic for why I near truthful they tin calm down nan club’s supporters past they can.” Whatever nan case, nan defender sewage his way, pinch his move to nan Emirates allowing Ashley Cole to recreation successful nan other direction.

Dimitar Berbatov

Berbatov wanted to unrecorded his “dream” of moving to Manchester United, but location was a problem: Tottenham did not want to waste him. Juande Ramos, nan Spurs manager, called successful Berbatov for a gathering to talk nan Bulgarian’s early and it resulted pinch him being near retired of nan squad for a 2-1 conclusion to Sunderland successful August 2008. Ramos said nan striker was not “focused enough” and would not “be bully for nan dressing room and nan squad effort”. Berbatov yet sewage his measurement and a £31m woody was agreed pinch United, allowing him to make his much-desired move to Old Trafford connected deadline day.

Dimitar Berbatov (centre) made an acrimonious exit from Tottenham. Photograph: Scott Heppell/AP

Carlos Tevez

The problems for Manchester City began erstwhile Tevez did not fancy warming up successful a Champions League crippled astatine Bayern Munich successful September 2011, subsequently emotion nan afloat wrath of nan manager, Roberto Mancini, who had nary hesitation successful declaring nan Argentinian “finished” astatine nan club. The 2 had ne'er been adjacent but nan spat ended nan narration for good, pinch substance thrown onto nan bonfire by Tevez’s agent. “What is he apologising for?” Kia Joorabchian asked. “It’s almost for illustration a false: ‘I’m sorry.’ He doesn’t believe, heavy down, that he did thing wrong.” Tevez’s elected sabbatical successful Argentina costs him £9.3m. In February he came backmost and apologised aft a move to 1 of Milan, Inter and Paris Saint-Germain grounded to materialise.

Peter Odemwingie

Sometimes it is champion to return nan route-one approach, unless, that is, location are TV cameras astir and your desired transportation does not spell through. Few will hide nan show of Odemwingie parked extracurricular Loftus Road arsenic he tried to seal a move from West Brom to QPR connected deadline time successful 2013. The Nigerian assumed a woody had been agreed but, unluckily for him, that was not nan case, leaving him pinch small other to do but chat pinch Sky Sports News via nan model of his car earlier yet driving backmost to nan Midlands. “It was difficult because I was angry and it was a really reliable play to spell through,” Odemwingie said arsenic he recounted nan incident to nan Guardian successful 2024. “It was very embarrassing successful galore ways.”

Peter Odemwingie (left) successful happier times earlier his notorious grounded effort to time off West Brom. Photograph: Darren Staples/REUTERS

Saido Berahino

Berahino was basking spot aft scoring an awesome 20 goals for West Brom successful nan 2014-15 season. Mauricio Pochettino was hopeless to bring nan striker to Tottenham and 2 offers were made, some subsequently turned down by West Brom’s president Jeremy Peace. Berahino reacted by tweeting he would ne'er play for Peace again earlier going connected strike. He was intelligibly hopeless to subordinate Spurs, but his furious attempts astatine doing truthful did not work. West Brom, and Peace successful particular, dug in, and nan subordinate remained wherever he was, yet moving to Stoke successful 2017. The 32-year-old is presently unattached aft a spell successful Slovenia pinch Tabor Sezana. Any interest, Thomas Frank?

Dimitri Payet

Payet is impervious that downing devices tin velocity up a player’s exit. The Frenchman wanted to time off West Ham successful January 2017 successful bid to complete a move to Marseille, truthful stopped coming to training and refused to play for a nine wherever he had been nan undoubted prima during nan erstwhile season. Payet’s teammates did not for illustration his attitude, truthful kicked him retired of their WhatsApp group, while Slaven Bilic, West Ham’s head astatine nan time, made it clear that Payet was still portion of his plans. “We do not want to waste him,” he said. “We person said hundreds of times that we do not want to waste our champion players. We want to support them.” None of that made a difference, pinch Payet sealing a £25m transportation to nan southbound of France astatine nan extremity of nan month.

Dimitri Payet did not screen himself successful glory arsenic acold arsenic his teammates and West Ham fans were concerned. Photograph: Clive Rose/Getty Images

Cristiano Ronaldo

They opportunity you should ne'er spell back, and that proved to beryllium nan lawsuit pursuing Ronaldo’s astonishment return to Old Trafford successful 2021. Quite simply, nan move was a disaster, pinch nan Portuguese superstar simply not nan subordinate he erstwhile was. Going connected to suffer an almighty fallout pinch Erik 10 Hag was different problem. He near nan stadium aft being substituted successful a pre-season friends against Rayo Vallecano, doubly refused to spell connected earlier stepping down nan passageway successful a lucifer against Tottenham and past sat down to do that interview pinch Piers Morgan, successful which he claimed to person been “betrayed” by nan club. There was nary measurement backmost aft that and Ronaldo soon joined nan Saudi Arabian nine Al-Nassr, wherever he remains to this day, happier and much, overmuch richer.