"Does anyone else reckon Gareth Barry is starting to feel like a bloke who's told his missus that he's leaving her only to find out the blonde across the road isn't interested anymore?" - Jason Tew in an email published in the July 17 edition of The Fiver.

As three of the summer’s transfer sagas drag on there seems to be a very good chance that at least one or more of Ronaldo, Gareth Barry and Emmanuel Adebayor will find themselves playing for teams next season that they presently seem so desperate to leave.

You can’t hold on to an unhappy player is common enough wisdom and on a basic level it is largely true. If a player is truly unhappy with his life as a professional player he is entitled to walk-away and take up another career.

In a very different era high profile mid-career retirements from the game include Celtic’s George Connelly. Connelly could have become a Celtic great but he packed in the game when he was only 26. Before that we had Peter Knowles leave Wolves to become a Jehovah's Witness. (So the next time you get a knock on the door it might be from someone who almost played for England.)

But that is not the case with our transfer trio. All want to pursue their careers with other clubs even though they have valid long term contracts with their present clubs. There is nothing new about such a situation.

But it seems that over the last five years or so the market for such players has shrunk dramatically to the point where there are very few teams willing and able to meet their demands. That has led to lengthier transfer sagas.

In days past players would complain a bit, there would be a bidding war of sorts with a few clubs putting in bids and within a week or so the player would be mugging it for the press wearing a new strip and holding a scarf.

But things are not happening as quickly as before and some players are placing themselves in more precarious positions. Once they have gone public with their complaints and two or three weeks pass without a move ensuing they are forced to escalate the war of words.

That usually serves only to entrench the position of the potentially selling club – don’t want to be seen knuckling under to yappy, whinging player after all. Contrast Ronaldo, Barry and Adebayor with that of Frank Lampard who has been close to the essence of public discretion so far in his dealings with Chelsea and any potential move to Inter.

If Lampard stays at Stamford Bridge rather than moving to the Giuseppe Meazza then there is little to indicate that he will have to rebuild any bridges with the Chelsea support. The lesson perhaps – the less said the better.

On the other hand the three transfer stooges will have their work cut out if they are forced to survive at their present clubs on their meager weekly pittances. You really have to wonder about who has been advising them to take the “help get me out of this hell” position that ostracizes fans and management alike. There again maybe fans are so fickle that a couple of goals out of each of them and the crowds will chanting their names just like before.