Tottenham Hotspur's Yves Bissouma might well be one such player on the move over the next few days.
Persistent lateness a problem
It's believed that the 29-year-old defensive midfielder was left out of the squad to face Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup because of persistent lateness to training, and Thomas Frank's hire of Joao Palhinha has surely sent a message to Bissouma.
A message that will have been received loud and clear after the opening three games of the English top-flight season saw him play zero minutes.
That status quo is unlikely to change as the player, now in the last year of his current deal, isn't apparently part of Frank's plans in 2025/26.
Given Bissouma's numbers last season, that would appear to be an odd decision on the face of it.
12 yellow cards, the second most from a Spurs player behind Rodrigo Bentancur, might also be a factor in Frank's thinking, but the Dane only needs to peruse the detail to understand that the Ivorian still has much to offer in the defensive midfield position.
21 aerial duels won from 35 attempted in all competitions is a more than reasonable return, whilst other one-on-ones saw a success rate of up to 71.9% in the League Cup. His 50.6% return in the Premier League could be improved, but neither is it an awful showing.
He also completed 62 of his 92 tackles made in 24/25, made 41 interceptions and provided 36 headed clearances.
In terms of his passing, that can't be faulted either.
89% in the Premier League (753 successful passes from 846 attempted) is elite level, whilst his 95.9% showing in the FA Cup with 141 completed from 147 attempted is nothing short of sensational.
Palhinha is the defensive midfielder of choice
Signing Joao Palhinha, a year Bissouma's senior, might well have been seen as a stop-gap signing or for the purposes of cover in the defensive midfield areas; however, the Portuguese has found favour under Frank and would appear to be the manager's choice in the position.
It's difficult to understand the logic not only from the standpoint of the respective ages of the pair, but also for the fact that Bissouma had a much more intense 24/25 campaign.
The records will show that Palhinha played 24 games in all competitions for Bayern Munich, but this was only for a total of 941 minutes, just four minutes shy of 10.5 total matches.
To make a direct comparison would therefore be somewhat futile; however, it's still worth running the rule over just how well the former Fulham man did in Bavaria.
52 successful one-on-one duels in the Bundesliga from 89 attempted is a 58.4% showing, markedly better than Bissouma's in the Premier League. 25 from 41 aerially is also on par with the Ivorian.
14 tackles won from 20 attempted for a 70% completion stat isn't the worst in the world either, and just two yellow cards all season has to be considered as a direct result of his limited playing time.
A 92.9% pass completion from his Bundesliga appearances is also slightly better than his contemporary, albeit he attempted 297 fewer passes than Bissouma and completed 243 fewer.
Thomas Frank's prerogative
Looking at the data side by side, there really isn't much to choose between either player, and one can therefore only conclude that Bissouma just isn't really fancied by Thomas Frank.
That's a new manager's prerogative, of course, and whilst the Ivorian might have had his nose put out of joint if he still believes that he has something to offer as a player, he would do well to accept any potential offer from elsewhere in the coming days.
If he decides to dig his heels in, he's virtually accepting that he'll be sat on the sidelines for the most part of 2025/26, and that's not a good look for a potential new club in 12 months from now.
"Ridiculous" player
It wasn't long ago that Tottenham teammate James Maddison said of Bissouma: “We all know Yves’ ability. He is a ridiculous player at times. He has got a skill not many have and has to keep working hard."
Clearly, a player with that type of ability needs to be playing regular football, and with Turkish and Saudi Arabian clubs lurking, Bissouma has to think long and hard about his next career move.
