5 players who handed in infamous transfer requests in the Premier League

#3 John Stones

John Stones' transfer request was classy as far as footballers go

Transfer requests are usually linked with the very worst behaviour in footballers, an exercise in the so-called 'player power' that is despised by both the clubs and the fans. When Everton’s defender John Stones handed in a transfer request in the summer of 2015 amidst serious interest from Chelsea, though, it was something different entirely. Stones behaved so professionally during the whole issue that both the fans and his manager didn’t really seem to mind.

“The transfer request was something that he didn’t really mean to do,” was the quote from his then-manager Roberto Martinez when it became clear that as Everton weren’t interested in selling Stones, he wasn’t that interested in a move, apparently. The fans were equally pleased and rather than call Stones a traitor or Judas, they simply taunted the Chelsea fans with chants of “money can’t buy you Stones”.

Unfortunately for the Toffees fans, that proved to be not entirely true. While they turned down bids of £20m, £26m and £30m from Chelsea in 2015 – during the period in which Stones’ request went in – a bid of £47.5m from Manchester City in the summer of 2016 proved to be enough for Everton to take the money. This time though Stones didn’t need to put in any sort of request in order to leave, and ended up exiting Goodison Park with his head held high.