Martin O'Neill, the former Celtic and Aston Villa manager, claimed the balance of power in the game had swung towards the players. Wayne Rooney's transfer request is the most pertinent recent example and was raised in the Culture Media and Sport Committee's Football Governance inquiry.

O'Neill cited Rooney as a case in point of the increasing power footballers hold over their respective clubs and the negative impact agents can have on the game.

"You would hope that if you sign a player, for instance, on a four-year deal that you would have some control [over their future]," he said today.

"But really [I think] the control has left the football clubs and gone to the players and therefore the agents.

"I think that is one of the major changes I have seen to the game.

"When I started out, the player had no control whatsoever to the behest of the football club and now it has gone a full circle.

"I think that the players are now in charge now, which is a bit of a shame really."

The former Notting ham Forest player also pinpointed the 1995 Bosman ruling as a change in power, where Jean-Marc Bosman won the right to move freely to another side at the end of his contract.

"The fall-out from that there was extensive," he said.

"So much so that we're possibly debating the idea that football itself could have its own rules.

"I think there is certainly a case for that because the minute there was a possibility of a player having a bit of difficulty with his contract suddenly he could go to European law and find a loophole that sorts things out.

"Clubs were finding out loopholes as they were going along.

"For instance, a player with two years left on his contract was in a position - by some sort of law made way back I think during King John's day - that he could actually get out of his contract.

"Certainly in his last year he could buy his way out and agents were using these to manipulate situations."