The notion of player power once again came up at West Ham United during the January transfer window.
Only a few months on from a summer transfer window dominated by the sagas that saw the likes of Alexander Isak and Yoane Wissa force their clubs to sell them against their wishes, something similar happened at West Ham United.
Indeed, Lucas Paqueta effectively forced West Ham to sell him to Flamengo, with the club on record as saying they initially wanted to keep him.
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The exact strength of player power has frequently been discussed in recent months, with some clubs criticised for their treatment of players along the way, too.
January signing Axel Disasi, of course, was part of the much-criticised “bomb squad” at Chelsea, a group of players cut off from the rest of the first team arguably in the hope it would be enough to force them to leave.
Exactly who holds the power is up for debate but pundit Tony Cascarino was keen to point out a time in which West Ham were let down by Jesse Lingard.
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The former Republic of Ireland striker was speaking on The Times Sport Podcast.
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Cascarino was reflecting on his own career, talking about how he simply wanted to play football and progress as far as he could, with the financial side of things taking care of itself.
He is of the view that most players feel the same way, though did admit that there were some exceptions to that rule.
Indeed, Cascarino believes Lingard “took advantage” of the situation he was in when leaving Manchester United on a free transfer in 2022.
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Having previously starred on loan in east London, Lingard rejected West Ham and joined Nottingham Forest instead.
That move did not work out. The former England international made only 20 appearances before leaving in 2023. After some time out of the game, he joined South Korean side FC Seoul but is now a free agent once more.
Cascarino said: “Just one person I want to reference there where you can see the flip side and go the other way where a player takes advantage.”
“Jesse Lingard when he went to West Ham got a number of goals in the season he was on loan there from Manchester United and the year after that West Ham wanted him but he’s gone for the biggest deal, a one-year deal at Nottingham Forest. It was a big mistake.”
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Lingard was keen to sign for West Ham in January 2026, but Nuno Espirito Santo is understood to have vetoed that idea in favour of a move for Adama Traore.
It will be fascinating to see where Lingard lands next. The 33-year-old could surely still have something to offer, even if he hasn’t been at the highest level for a while now.
Jesse Lingard claps supporters after an FC Seoul game.
Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images
According to The Daily Mail, Dutch giants Feyenoord are interested in a move for him.
They are managed by Robin van Persie, who played with Lingard at Old Trafford.
He has also been linked with clubs in Italy and England, with a return to Europe seemingly the most likely outcome after his time out in Asia.
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