I'm not sure if I want to see George Boateng play for my club (even those of you with David Ginola-length attention spans should know that by 'my club' I mean Middlesbrough). The strike action he's threatened against Aston Villa sits uneasily with me, because of course, if he is able to come out with this sort of reactionary, leftist nonsense against them, what's to stop him from doing exactly the same to us? Why would we want such a nasty piece of work at Teesside's finest team (Hartlepool permitting)? Shouldn't we just go for Thomas Gravesen instead?

To add some context to this, in a situation mirrored in CM many times, the Boro offered Villa £4m for the Dutch midfielder, which was turned down by Graham 'CARLTON!' Taylor. All fair enough, you might think, but Boateng didn't agree. He demanded the move, and when Taylor didn't accede to his whinges he resolved to go on strike, like a one-man ASLEF. Another reason for his action was that Taylor put his price up to £7m, slightly out of MFC's range and so effectively attempting to tie the player to his midlands home. Boateng has gone on record as stating that he will never play for the club again, whilst Villa remain hopeful that they can strike some sort of compromise with their errant star. The latest has seen him reluctantly return to training, with a proviso that he can leave should someone come forward with the necessary readies.

That Boateng pulled more or less the same stunt with Coventry three years ago adds fuel to the evidence that he is a problem player of some renown, and one we should steer clear of. Do we really need this? Haven't we learned our lesson after Paul Merson and 'Fab' (sic) Rav? At the time of writing, this issue is still to be put to bed, though I can only believe that signing him would be like going out with Jennifer 'J-Lo' Lopez (steamy at first, hell in later months). On second thoughts, I'd take my chances with the latter option.

So what would you do in this situation? Say you have a player who is determined to leave, whether because he wants a new challenge, he feels victimised, or perhaps he is one of those strange breed (generally known as genus djalminha) blessed with the innate knowledge that he is better than everyone else and deserves to be treated as such. Would you agree to transfer list such players, or would you grit your teeth and attempt to retain their services, no matter what trouble they caused you?

The first thing you should do - as soon as your man has walked out of the office, leaving his spidery-scrawled transfer request staring up at you - is try to consider what sort of player is on your hands. Is he a serial troublemaker, the sort who doesn't mix with his colleagues and celebrates goals all by himself (looking at you, van Hoojdonkey)? Or is he the life and soul, maybe the team captain, at least someone you thought to be as safe as a bet on Ronaldo saying yes to another endorsement? This could make a big difference to your decision, as the disgruntled star's teammates could well be affected by what happens next. Usually, you can spot a problem case from a mile away from the circumstances in which you signed him (did you get Anelka at cost price? How?) and the way he reacts to such elements as being substituted or not turning up for training if there's a good topic on Kilroy (not very often then). These are the lads who talk to the press about wanting to move to x because they're not getting on with y. In the cases of such utter ingrates, my advice would be to get shot of them as quickly as you can, preferably with the help of a shotgun. You'll get endless mither if you don't. Soon, your man will start to whinge, and his fellows will follow with a show of their own displeasure. Okay, so their vitriol will be directed at him, but it may affect their performances on the field, and this is something you don't want.

On the other hand, if the transfer request is from a good, honest professional, you might be able to persuade him to stay. A new contract may be all it takes. More likely, the only healer will be the passing of time, during which the player is rated as unhappy but could eventually change his mind. Check such peoples' morale as often as you can. Providing they aren't low on esteem, chances are they'll still turn in the great work you have kept them in the team for. That said if someone has been such a valued servant to you, would you really want to stand in the way of his dreams? The answer, obviously, is yes! They're not real people, after all. Treat them like the sheep they are, and slaughter them if all else fails…

At times, I have opted to reject a transfer request, only to list the player myself? This has obvious benefits, as once you've agreed to let someone go, only they can extricate themselves from the list. You need to maintain control of the situation, so why not let them go on your terms? Well, as I have found to my cost, there is a very good reason for this. If you turn down a player's transfer request, he will not be too pleased with you, and that could last for an unpleasantly long time. In his eyes, you will be scum, the Simon Callow of the managerial world, and this is a headache you can well do without. In the meantime, if you do comply with his decision, there is a chance that he'll change his mind and return to the fold. Or not, as I used to find out with Paul Dillon in earlier editions of the game. The sod! I plucked him from obscurity, turned him from nothing into a major star, and look at how he chose to replay me. I made him, etc, etc.

Then you can always do what Mr Taylor has tried with Boateng. If you're hell-bent on keeping your star at all costs, agree to his request then bump up his value. That might be enough to turn the opposition away, as it could very well do from Middlesbrough's point of view. Then again, unlike in reality, other clubs aren't daft. They'll still offer the true market value, and if you say 'cobblers' to them, that's only likely to annoy your player, which in turn might aggravate the delicate sensibilities of your squad, and oh, it's a vicious circle. Why play Championship Manager? Let's just buy FIFA instead?

Ultimately then, you will probably have to suck in your gut, keep that upper lip as stiff as someone in a locked room with Kylie, and swallow that pride. If your player wants to leave, you are better off accepting, and starting the search for an alternative. It is, after all, a world where player power speaks loudest, and you would be foolish to see it any differently.