12 players who went on strike to force transfer as Nunes plays Man City gamble
Premier League champions Manchester City are attempting to sign Wolves star Matheus Nunes before Friday’s deadline - and he has taken matters into his own hands.
After seeing a first bid for his signature turned down by the Black Country outfit, City are considering a second offer. Wolves are not keen on selling but that has not stopped the Portuguese from attempting to force through a move.
He has stopped training with Wolves and has expressed his wish to move to the Etihad Stadium. The former Sporting star might need to take a look at players who have done the same as a word of warning.
A number of players have gone on strike in efforts to secure lucrative moves and it hasn’t always gone to plan. Take a look at a few of the more infamous examples below:
Riyad Mahrez
Nunes is not the first - and probably won’t be the last - player to try and manufacture a move to Man City. Riyad Mahrez tried the same just 18 months after helping Leicester to the Premier League title.
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He was left in an airport lounge ahead of the 2017/18 season waiting for news of a move - none coming to fruition. The Algerian was then forced to return to the East Midlands.
Mahrez tried the same only a few months later as he went on strike for two weeks during the January transfer window. Again, the Foxes resisted and only ended up agreeing to sell him the following summer.
The winger was a huge success at the Etihad Stadium as he claimed four Premier League triumphs and helped them to an historic treble last term. He left the club this summer for Saudi side Al-Ahli.
Leicester eventually relented by letting Riyad Mahrez move to Man City (Getty Images)Would Matheus Nunes be a good signing for Man City? Share your thoughts in the comments below
Antony
Staying in Manchester with another winger, Antony’s strike was relatively recent. The Brazilian wideman completed an £85m move to Manchester United last summer to be reunited with Erik ten Hag.
After Ajax continued to rebuff the Red Devils’ attempts, he then refused to play for the club until his future was resolved. A deal was eventually pushed through.
At the moment that effort appears unlikely to have been worth it. He has never managed to convince at Old Trafford and has just eight goals to his name.
Dimitar Berbatov
In fact, a fair few players have gone on to strike in an attempt to seal moves to the red half of Manchester. Hungarian striker Dimitar Berbatov is among those.
The Red Devils had long admitted their desire to sign the ex-Bayer Leverkusen star. Berbatov also wanted the move to happen as he was benched by the North London side, whilst he then refused to travel for games against Sunderland and Chelsea.
A deal between the two sides was eventually reached. After a £30m switch, Berbatov went on to score 56 goals and won two Premier League titles.
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Luis Suarez
What is it about strikers going on strike? Luis Suarez is unsurprisingly part of that group as he attempted to engineer a move away from Liverpool.
The Reds had just finished seventh under Brendan Rodgers and Arsenal were attempting to seal a move as they lodged a bid worth £40m plus £1 in the hope that would activate his release clause. Long story short, it didn’t.
Suarez then refused to play for the Reds and was then forced to train on his own. The Uruguayan did eventually get his switch - but instead to Barcelona.
Luis Suarez eventually got his move to Barcelona after striking (Getty Images)Carlos Tevez
From one South American frontman to the other, Carlos Tevez was always a divisive figure during his time in Manchester. After making the switch from red to sky blue, he had an explosive time at the Etihad.
Tevez was initially banned after refusing to come on in a Champions League clash against Bayern Munich. He was eventually put on gardening leave by City.
After a move to AC Milan fell through, he made his return with a hat-trick against Norwich and an infamous golf celebration. He eventually left for Juventus in 2013.
Diego Costa
We’re nearly done with strikers, we promise. We couldn’t leave this one out though. A two-time Premier League winner, his time with Chelsea came to an explosive end in 2018.
He was told by Antonio Conte that he was not part of his plans despite a 22-goal campaign. That understandably left him annoyed and he spent the entire summer in Brazil and he hit out at Conte for “treating him like a criminal”.
Costa eventually moved back to former club Atletico Madrid, then joined Atletico Mineiro before a return to the Premier League with Wolves. The striker now finds himself Botafogo.
Diego Costa left Chelsea under a cloud after winning the Premier League (Getty Images)Harry Kane
The former Tottenham striker finally sealed the move that he had been lusting over this summer with a switch to Bayern Munich. Whilst he is now attempting to win the Bundesliga, Kane could potentially have moved to Manchester City.
During the summer of 2021, Pep Guardiola was very keen on a swoop for the England captain. Kane was a no-show for Tottenham’s pre-season testing but confirmed that he was stopping short of going on strike.
Spurs refused to sell him but eventually relented this summer as they banked around £100m for his services.
Pierre van Hooijdonk
The last striker on this list, this one goes back a few years but is equally as infamous. The Dutchman had developed a reputation of a lethal forward with Nottingham Forest.
After firing the East Midlands side into the Premier League, he was shocked to see a number of his teammates leave. That led to him lodging a transfer request and going on strike.
Forest remained firm and only agreed to sell after the season. Van Hooijdonk eventually left for Vitesse, where he continued to score plenty of goals.
Rafael van der Vaart
If anyone is a warning not to count your chickens, that man is Rafael van der Vaart. Before his stunning spell with Spurs, the Dutch playmaker found himself in Germany with Bundesliga side Hamburg.
He was however desperate to leave in 2007 and was keen on a move to Valencia. Van der Vaart appeared to think a move to the Mestalla was all-but done as he posed with the Spanish side’s shirt.
A deal wasn’t done though and he was forced to return to Hamburg with his tail between his legs - but only after pulling out of a European match after claiming he’d injured himself playing with his son.
Dimitri Payet
With West Ham having sold one of their key players this summer, they were at least prepared for Declan Rice’s exit. The same cannot quite be said of French midfielder Dimitri Payet.
Hammers’ boss Slaven Bilic was left stunned after the mercurial midfielder lodged a request to leave the club just 18 months into his West Ham career. Payet refused to play for and even train with the club until they accepted an offer for him.
He eventually got his wish with a £25m move back to former club Marseille. Payet only left the Stade Velodrome this summer and penned a deal with Vasco da Gama.
Moises Caicedo
The current holder of the British transfer record, the midfielder completed a big-money move to Chelsea earlier this summer. His switch to Stamford Bridge was a move six months in the making.
In January, Caicedo penned a statement on social media in an effort to convince the Seagulls to let him leave. That did not go down well with the club hierarchy as Brighton banned him from the club’s training ground until the end of the January transfer window
He returned to contention for the Seagulls and helped them to a place in the Europa League. Liverpool were initially keen to sign him, only to see Chelsea swoop in and steal the midfielder.
William Gallas
Whilst Caicedo attempted to force a move to Chelsea, former French defender William Gallas attempted to go the other way. He lodged a transfer request in May 2006 amid interest from Italian clubs only for Chelsea to refuse.
Gallas then replied and refused to return to Stamford Bridge. He eventually threatened to score own goals if he was not allowed to leave - something that he disputed. He eventually left under a cloud having been involved in a deal that saw Ashley Cole arrive from Arsenal.
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