COMMENT: Everton and West Bromwich Albion are standing up to the big boys.
Bill Kenwright and Jeremy Peace have this week taken a hard-line stance against two of England's bigger clubs and long may this trend continue.
The Toffees rejected a transfer request from promising defender John Stones on Thursday as reigning champions Chelsea prepare a reported fourth and final bid of £40million.
In the West Midlands, the Baggies told talented striker Saido Berahino, in no uncertain terms, that he will not be leaving The Hawthorns as Tottenham get set to go as high as £25million for his signature.
For too long, the giants of the Premier League have held a monopoly on the transfer market due to their promises of abundance in the form of weekly wages and the subsequent materialistic life that comes with it.
More often than not, however, regular playing time doesn't come with the astronomical fees paid for such English talent who generally watch their careers crumble away from the confines of the substitutes bench.
The likes of Scott Sinclair and Jack Rodwell struggled after joining Manchester City from Swansea City and Everton respectively and perhaps they, or their enthusiastic agents, managed to get ability mixed up with ambition.
John Bostock's move from Crystal Palace to Tottenham, ahead of time, saw him end up in Belgium's second division before OH Leuven were promoted last season while Francis Jeffers' transfer to Arsenal from Everton did not end up as hoped for the 'fox in the box'.
Not to say Stones and Berahino are in this category, as they appear to have infinitely more scope than the aforementioned quartet, but who knows what will happen if they push for transfers to bigger clubs and end up spending the majority of their time cultivating a sedentary pose.
Admittedly, Stones made a move similar to the ones being discussed above but the modest £3m fee means that there was little or no risk for all parties involved, especially Barnsley, who remain in the third tier of English football and would have benefitted greatly from the fiscal deposit.
It is refreshing to see the Toffees and the Baggies dig their heels in as Chelsea and Tottenham come hard for their prized assets and Kenwright and Peace must be commended for keeping the ethos of their clubs at heart as they attempt to gain a strong foothold in the savagely cut-throat environment of the Premier League.
It is a difficult task for mid-sized clubs like the Blues and Albion to be competitive against the millions upon millions of Russian, Emirati and American dollars and pounds being thrown around but the first way to beat this tendency is to say no to a quick buck and retain the talent they have on hand to fight with everything they have to bridge the gap between the immensely affluent and the merely well off.
Everton and West Brom fans will be eager to see Stones and Berahino stay where they currently are to continue adding value to their respective teams and as a football fan, I too hope that business and profitability does not again rear its ugly head, and just for a moment, we can return to the roots and remember why indeed we love this game so.
