Ramos decision surely means bye bye Berba

It is hard to imagine Dimitar Berbatov will still be plying his trade at Tottenham when the transfer window slams shut on Monday night. The broody Bulgarian with the silky skills refused to turn out for his current club in last weekend's home match against Sunderland, offering yet another example of escalating player power within the Premier League.

Having handed in a transfer request last week amid claims he has become a disruptive influence in the Spurs dressing-room, the surly striker complained he was "not in the right frame of mind" to turn out at White Hart Lane.

Ramos, arguing his hand was forced, decided to omit him from the squad and went into the first home game of the season with only one recognised striker, Darren Bent. Spurs lost 2-1.

So was the Spanish manager right? Or would a sulking Berbatov still have offered something constructive to the side?

There is, after all, no doubting his talents. Just ask Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.

Berbatov possesses unbelievable touch and sublime awareness of those around him, yet can delight and frustrate in equal measure. When he is in the mood, defenders find him simply unplayable. But when things aren't going his way, he becomes a petulant and persistent pain.

His 46 goals since joining from Bayer Leverkusen for £10.9m (Dhs73.5m) in 2006 prove his worth – Spurs argue that figure now sits at £30m – and when you marry his prolificacy to his extraordinary assist rate for the past two seasons it is understandable why he is so coveted by England's top club.

Daniel Levy, the Spurs chairman, is adamant the forward won't leave for anything less than £30m and has played hardball with United all summer. He even labelled their previous bid, believed to be around the £20m mark, as "derisory". While you must applaud Levy for standing up to the Premier League heavyweights and fiercely protecting his club, his stubborn stance may be detrimental in the long run.

Spurs are reportedly willing to let the Bulgarian captain rot in their reserves until January or even next summer, but surely that is the last thing they should do. Their most prized asset would depreciate markedly in value and they seem to be running out of time to find a replacement.

Ramos' decision to succumb to Berbatov's childish tantrum will only play into the hands of Manchester United, as the league champions can now offer less than expected for a player who blatantly wants out. The Spurs No9 could have transformed the defeat into a first victory of the season, but instead his side go into tomorrow's match at Chelsea low on confidence. Don't expect Berbatov to feature though, as his may be up north finalising his move.