Player Power, Club Control and the Real Bad Guys

The Public Judgement and Double Standards That Define Modern Football

This transfer window was a masterclass in misdirection. The headlines screamed about “despicable” players. Alexander Isak, Yoane Wissa. Names dragged through studio panels and social feeds like they’d committed high treason. Meanwhile, the clubs? Quietly operating under the radar, making calculated moves that left young players dangling and careers hanging in the balance.

The loudest voices painted players as villains, while clubs walked away clean. But let’s not pretend this is a one-sided game. If we’re going to criticise behaviour, let’s be consistent. Let’s talk about the hypocrisy.

Why Are We Still Protecting Clubs?

It’s easy to pile on the player. Call them spoiled, call them ungrateful. But where’s that same fire when clubs mislead, ghost, or outright block a player’s move?

Take Newcastle United. Not only did they benefit from Wissa’s stand at Brentford, they also left a trail of damage elsewhere. Strand Larsen, a player Wolves could have built around, expressed a clear desire to join Newcastle. He stepped back from his own club, isolated himself in anticipation. And what happened? Nothing. Newcastle never returned. No bid, no deal. Just silence. A career put on hold for a club that never followed through.

And it didn’t stop there.