'The manager tells you how attractive a club is'

Former Manchester City and Tottenham midfielder Michael Brown has been speaking to BBC Sport about a manager's involvement in transfers: "I think it is a well-known fact that until a position is agreed with a football club there isn't supposed to be any contact with the player, but to say that doesn't happen would be telling a lie because it happens all the time.

"The manager tells you how attractive a club is, why they want to sign you, where they want to play you and some of the top managers are best at that. They tell you how they can further your career, where they see you playing and the best ones can actually convince you to sign.

"What's difficult though is where there is a director of football totally involved and the manager has no say on choosing the players. On some occasions that can be difficult and you can see it these days where a player doesn't know if they wanted to sign them or if the manager doesn't play them and says they weren't my signing."