The summer transfer window 2025 is witnessing a clear trend: the player is no longer silent waiting for the decision from the team. On the contrary, they actively promote the negotiation process by all means including strike.
Viktor Gyokeres, Alexander Isak and Younge Wissa are typical examples for an era where the player is increasingly gaining the upper hand.
Gyokeres refused to return to training with Sporting Lisbon, asking the Board of Directors to accelerate the negotiation with Arsenal. Regardless of the Portuguese team president, Frederico Varandas, announcing the discipline of Gyokeres because he dared to strike, the last victory still belonged to the 27 -year -old player.
In Newcastle, Alexander Isak also used tough measures to leave St James' Park. The Swedish player publicly proposed to leave with the BLD team. Isak also withdrew from Newcastle's seasonal trip on the grounds of thigh injury. The pressure that Isak created caused the shot to waver. They have promoted to find the striker instead of Isak. A “blockbuster” to Liverpool is coming closer.
Meanwhile in Brentford, Younge Wissa publicly refused to participate in the first training session to put pressure on the club, in the context of being drawn by Newcasle instead of Isak. In the latest negotiation with Football Director Phil Giles, Wissa showed an angry attitude because Brentford prevented him from leaving. The 10th Premier League last season was at risk of disintegrating after losing coach Thomas Frank (to Tottenham), captain Christian Norgaard (to Arsenal), the leading goalscorer Bryan Mbeumo (to MU) and prepared Wissa.
What happens shows a significant shift in the balance of the power between the club and the player, which has been rarely seen in the Premier League just a decade ago. In the past, teams often kept their right to decide. Long -term contracts, benches or coldness in the market are enough to force the silent player. But today, the story is different.
There are three main reasons explaining this phenomenon. Firstly, players are now a personal brand, with the influence of communication far beyond the pitch. A line of Instagram status can also push the club into a passive position. Secondly, the representative is increasingly decisive, not only in negotiations but also in the strategy of “soft pressure” through media, law, and even behind -the -scenes channels.
Thirdly, FIFA's Law to Protect the Player has paved the way to unilaterally terminate the contract in many cases. Specifically, according to Article 17 of the FIFA Law, a player can unilaterally terminate the contract if the club violates financial obligations or must not play properly. At that time, the player may ask to leave without compensation.
What is the consequence? The transfer market becomes unstable and even bowl. The price of the player is pushed dizzy. The dressing room at big clubs becomes more difficult to control. A player who refuses to play or strike can create a domino effect for other teammates.
It is undeniable that players need to be protected. But the left side is many people who are willing to make the most of the legal and medical environment changes to achieve personal goals, despite the collective impact. When Gyokeres or Isak “made me do it”, the story no longer stopped at a simple transfer. That is the signal that football order is being rewritten.
The Premier League and European football, will have to learn how to adapt to a generation of players not only soccer, but also to “negotiate power” in their own way.
