Football FanCast columnist David Mooney looks into the psyche of the modern day player and wonders what is their actual ambition - to become a bit part winner or a club legend.

As the summer transfer window closes in, like a Heat magazine journalist to the front door of Amy Winehouse, the rumours of who's going where and for how much increase tenfold. And most of the rumours are about as reliable as the polling figures for the state of Florida.

Managers, players, coaches, and even journalists fly like vultures over the carcasses of troubled clubs or players, picking away at their bones with comments designed to unsettle more or draw attention in order to push transfers through.

Two of the main rumours of this week have been Gareth Barry to Liverpool and Micah Richards to Chelsea or Arsenal, both of which have had the fans of Aston Villa and Man City up in arms, respectively. And of course, because those are two of the clubs' best players and it's only logical that the fans don't want them to move.

But, with, for example, City's summer managerial turmoil that's expected, will they seem like an attractive prospect for Richards? Will he want to face another summer of uncertainty, where he can't be sure who the manager will be, who will be staying or moving or even if he'll like the new man in charge?

Then again, if he moves to Chelsea, will he become part of the furniture? When Shaun Wright-Phillips made the same move, I'm sure he thought he was going to be getting regular first-team football, as well as Champions League appearances and cup and league winners medals. But it didn't really work out like that.

At City, Wright-Phillips made 153 appearances in 6 years, while at Chelsea, has made just 81 in 3 seasons. Now, the ratio there seems to be roughly the same, but, when looking deeper, it's actually not. In 1999, when Wright-Phillips broke into the first team under Joe Royle, he was making substitute appearances and didn't start many games for a good two seasons. But then he became a regular under Keegan and Pearce.

Does Shaun Wright-Phillips serve as an example of why you should choose regular first-team football over a handful of appearances and a medal? After all, I think a lot of people are agreed that the little winger would have gone to the world cup in 2006 had he stayed with Man City.

If Gareth Barry moves to Liverpool, will he be shoved out in left midfield or will he be able to compete with Mascherano for a place in defensive midfield? Barry's certainly not a left winger, but he is left footed. Would he be happy being part of a squad rotation system? Peter Crouch is, apparently, unhappy with his place on the bench every week. Would the same happen to Gareth Barry?

One option that has been put forward on TalkSport is whether these players should remain at their club and become legends. It's Adrian Durham and Mickey Quinn in for Ian Wright are both are adamant that any footballer should be looking to make the most money they can and move to the biggest club that want them.

Their argument is that the big club wants them, so they're guaranteed some games. Then, there's the bonus of a winner's medal for the cup or the league, should your club get that far.

However, in my opinion, I would feel like my medal wasn't worth as much as it could be (sentimentally, I'd have no desire to sell it), because I wasn't an integral part of the winning team, just a player who was there for backup when the regular player in my place was injured, suspended or otherwise unavailable.

So, would you rather be a club legend at a mid-table team and face the possibility of retiring with no medals? Or would you prefer the medals and the trophies, but the possibility of a lack of first team action?