Toys. Pram. Gone. When Premier League players throw transfer tantrums

Keeping track of all the transfer gossip is a sport in itself, but alongside that, it's fun to watch the tantrums and drama that accompany this high-stakes period.

Think back to the transfer window earlier in January of this year, for example, when two of the Premier League’s biggest names threw their proverbial toys out of their prams over potential moves away from the Premier League.

Chelsea’s Diego Costa and West Ham’s Dimitri Payet were not too fussed about who they upset on their respective ways to signing to new clubs.

However, they’re not the first - and won’t be the last - footballers to throw a strop to get what they want.

Let’s look back at their situations, and a few other classics of the genre.

Diego Costa

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Things kicked off early in the New Year when Chelsea dropped their top scorer Costa for their 3-0 win at Leicester after he apparently had an argument with coaches over his fitness.

The Blues say Costa had a back injury, but reports suggest he was the subject of an offer from the Chinese Super League that could have earned him £30m a year.

That didn't pan out, but now it looks like Costa's troubled spell at Stamford Bridge is coming to an end: he's rumoured to be joining Atletico Madrid for £41m.

Dimitri Payet

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Just days before Costa’s controversial withdrawal from the Chelsea squad, West Ham’s star man Dimitri Payet effectively went on strike.

Payet, who was sensational for the Hammers the previous season, and shone for France at Euro 2016, told manager Slaven Bilic he didn't want to play for the club any more.

Bilic was absolutely fuming - and Payet ended up joining Marseilles for £25m.

Saido Berahino

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Berahino was one of the brightest stars of the English game a couple of seasons ago when he was a young West Brom striker.

But trouble started brewing when he began angling for a move away from the Hawthorns for a couple of seasons, and the club wasn't willing to accept incoming offers.

This all came to a head in 2015, when a move to Spurs failed to materialise on deadline day. Berahino angrily tweeted that he would never again play for Baggies chairman Jeremy Peace.

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The saga came to an end in January of this year when Berahino transferred to Stoke City for £12m.

Wayne Rooney

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Rooney became the main man at Manchester United after Cristiano Ronaldo left in 2009, and he finished the next season as top scorer - but United missed out on the title to Chelsea.

A few months later - completely out of the blue - Rooney submitted a transfer request, concerned about United’s “ability to attract the top players in the world”.

Yet just two days later, Rooney posed for an awkward photo with manager Sir Alex Ferguson and signed a reported £250,000-per-week, five-year contract.

Two and a half years later Rooney repeated the move, with the retiring Sir Alex revealing the transfer request in a post-match interview as a parting shot.

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Incoming manager David Moyes, keen to shore up his position, then gave Rooney a new deal worth £300,000 per week.

It’s fair to say, Rooney has found a way to get what he wants.

Peter Odemwingie

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The Nigerian striker wanted to force a move from West Brom to Queens Park Rangers in January 2013.

When it looked to have stalled, Odemwingie took drastic action, driving from the West Midlands to West London and waiting outside QPR’s Loftus Road ground.

The gathered sports news cameras picked him up, and instead of keeping a low profile, he kindly rolled down the window for a Harry Redknapp-style interview.

Redknapp, who was QPR boss at the time, must have been watching, but wasn't impressed enough to get the deal done.

That left Odemwingie with the long drive back to the Midlands which presumably he spent trying coming to terms with the fact he was now a meme that would return every deadline day.

Pascal Chimbonda

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Towards the end of the 2005-6 season, Wigan’s French full-back Pascal Chimbonda was linked with a move to Spurs.

As the final whistle blew on a Latics defeat to Arsenal, Chimbonda thought he’d seize the day and try and force through the move.

"I was shaking the players' hands as they came off to congratulate them on a magnificent season," said Wigan boss Paul Jewell.

"He came up to me, still in his kit, and handed me a transfer request, along with a note to thank me and the club for all our help. I was livid."

Wigan chairman Dave Whelan, may have complained that Chimbonda’s timing was “diabolical,” but it worked.

Chimbonda signed for Spurs on the next deadline day.

Darren Bent

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In summer 2009, Spurs striker Darren Bent wanted to leave White Hart Lane - possibly because his manager, Harry Redknapp, kept telling people his wife Sandra could score the chances Bent was missing. Not helpful.

There were a few offers on the table, but fortunately Bent had his Twitter account to let everyone know his preferred destination:

"Do I wanna go to Hull? No. Do I wanna go to Stoke? No. Do I wanna go to Sunderland? Yes."

That's pretty clear then, but when Bent got fed up about how long things were taking, he let rip at Spurs chairman and notorious driver of hard bargains, Daniel Levy.

“Stop ******* about Levy."

"Why can't anything be simple? It's so frustrating hanging around doing jack ****. Seriously getting ****** off right now."

Bent took down his Twitter account and had to apologise before the move went through - not that his new boss at Sunderland seemed to be that bothered.

"Someone says Darren has been Twittering - I don't even know what that is,” said Steve Bruce.

Carlos Tevez

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Carlos Tevez is no stranger to a controversial transfer.

His move to West Ham was shrouded in the weirdness of third-party ownership; he crossed Manchester from United to City; and he is now earning some serious coin in China.

However, it's his strop with ex-Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini that we're interested in.

The two men had seriously fallen out by the start of the 2011-12 season. Tevez was after a move closer to home, claiming he was missing his family in Argentina, but City wouldn't sell.

Things got so bad that Tevez allegedly refused to come on as a substitute during a Champions League game at Bayern Munich.

Tevez claimed it was a misunderstanding, but Mancini banished him from the team and the Argentinian spent most of the season playing golf.

As City pushed for their first Premier League title, Tevez somehow found his way back into the side and scored some crucial goals in the run-in, which of course he celebrated with a golf swing. Class.

And one to watch: Alexis Sanchez

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Arsenal's Chilean magician is undoubtedly one of the biggest stars at the Emirates, but his contract is winding down - and Sanchez has looked increasingly unhappy on the pitch.

During Arsenal's 3-3 draw at Bournemouth in January, Alexis was raging when Olivier Giroud spent time performing a choreographed goal celebration instead of running back for the restart and pushing for a winner.

Sanchez also threw a strop in the Gunners' 4-0 win at Swansea because he was substituted when the game was done and dusted.

So what’s been eating Alexis? Is he wanting a move? After more money? Or just angered by Arsene Wenger’s penchant for incredibly long coats?

Now it looks like Sanchez might finally be getting his move: Manchester City are apparently interested. Time will tell if he gets what he wants.