I don’t think it’s unreasonable for a fan to want their not so good anymore player to be sold in order to bring in a new, younger and much more talented player instead.
Yes, that's why I took the animal or hogpen example, because you sound like a medieval merchant, selling and buying animals or even
slaves on the marketplace.
If a young talent had a bad season - for any known or unknown reason - it is perhaps good to think (or advise) he may make a better carrier elsewhere.
But in case of a player who had most definitely proven he was good and worthy, being at a good age, a bad season in itself is usually not enough to get rid of him.
Probably you don't know the feeling when a club-bureaucrat or coach tells a player to be SOLD - for whatever reason.
It's the exact word of human trafficking, or slavery that all players with minimal IQ just hate...
It’s not as if Umtiti is the same CB as a year and a half ago. I also don’t like his attitude of him insisting that he will be a Barca player when it’s not at all clear that he will be one. It’s not up to him entirely.
A player's contract my stubborn friend, contains many different phrases and paragraphs about different conditions the contract can be terminated by either parties.
An injury, followed by a lengthy period of return, is usually NOT a reason to terminate the contract, so the player has the rights to remain and stay, if he thinks that's the best for him.
These contracts give rights and possibilities for the player too, not only to the club.
A player also needs
carrier assurances and every sane club knows that anything can happen to a player with 4-5 years remaining in his contract, thus the clubs also take the RISKS if a promising player happen to be under-performing for any reason.
So you are right, it's not "up to him entirely" but you once again speak like a medieval merchant, who has the rights to do whatever he wants with his slave. It's "not up to the club entirely" - should the player, his lawyer or agent also say.
No, a contract is ALWAYS signed between two or more EQUAL parties, where the player is not just a mere puppet in the hands of the club.