Former Southampton chairman Rupert Lowe hopes there's no fans backlash against wantaway midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin.
The Frenchman is pushing to be sold to Tottenham.
Lowe told talkSPORT: "He's a fantastic player, he's a fantastic person and when we signed him from Strasbourg I was amazed we were able to do that. I was expecting to be competing with clubs like Arsenal because I personally think he is the probably best midfielder in English football at the moment.
"I have huge admiration for him. I hope he stays at Southampton but, at the end of the day, if a bigger club comes in for him most players see that as a promotion, a bigger salary, and it is very difficult to keep them."
"The clubs don't have the power they should have to control the situation," he added. "The power lies with the players since the Bosman [ruling] and also the managers.
"Many of the managers are fickle, they don't commit themselves to the club. At the end of the day, it is not just developing players that is a long-term plan, it is also having managers for the long-term which is important. That is lacking in football. The pendulum used to be too much in favour of the clubs and now it is too much in favour of the managers and the players."
