We have seen what happens when it goes the other way, Mathieu Flamini was deemed as surplus to requirements before his one super charged season where he found his best form. That is the margin the manager has to play with. A player close to joining Birmingham City and not being able to force his way into the team to a player who dominates AC Milan at the San Siro. We could have offered Flamini a large pay rise before he got to the last season of his existing contract and he could