A transfer request is a way for a footballer to inform their club they wish to be sold to another team.
Transfer requests are most commonly submitted by players during the two periods of the year clubs are allowed to negotiate deals with one another – the summer and winter transfer windows.
If a player decides they want to move, they may use a transfer request to make their intention clear to their club.
There is no standardised, formal way in which players are obliged to submit transfer requests.
The most common method is for a player’s agency to draft a legal document and send it to the sporting director, chairman or CEO of a club in order to inform them of the player’s desire to move. Such a document usually includes confirmation a player wishes to breach the terms of their employment, the reasons behind the request, and the player’s signature.
But transfer requests can also take other forms. For example, a player or somebody acting on their behalf may inform a manager at a training ground, could give an interview to the press in which they make their desire to move clear, or might post on social media to make sure the wider football community is fully aware of what they want.
A club is under no obligation to accept any transfer request.
Is handing in a transfer request a smart idea?
In theory, a transfer request from a player could force their club’s hand – if it becomes public knowledge a player wants to leave, then the club’s hand is potentially weakened in transfer negotiations.
If a player becomes aware that a new team is interested in signing them, but negotiations with their club are proving difficult, they may deem a transfer request necessary to try to hurry the process along.
In some instances, a player may submit a transfer request not out of desire to join a specific new club, but because of a dispute of some sort at their current one. That means a transfer request can inform potential suitors the player is available, draw out interest and encourage teams to make an offer to the player’s club.
Are there any negative consequences?
Transfer requests are either made in public or tend to become public knowledge very quickly. Fans, staff, and team-mates typically respond negatively to news one of their club’s players has made a formal request to leave.
The reputation of the player and their legacy at their club can therefore be seriously compromised. And in the case a transfer never materialises and the player has to remain at their current club, they can be left in a very awkward position.
For example, Wayne Rooney caused uproar when he asked to leave Manchester United amid interest from rivals Manchester City in 2010, in arguably the most notorious transfer request in Premier League history. The former England striker eventually remained at Old Trafford for seven more years.
Furthermore, the submission of a transfer request can lead to significant financial penalties for a player. Formally asking to leave while employed by a club constitutes a breach of that contract, and could mean a player is no longer entitled to contractual bonuses like signing-on fees and loyalty bonuses.
Lower down the football pyramid, where wages are much less extravagant, the loss of those amounts could put a player off submitting a transfer request.
