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Transfer revolution: Window to shut before Premier League season starts next year

Should the Summer Transfer Window close before the Premier League season starts?


  • Total voters
    83

THFCSPURS19

The Speaker of the Transfer Rumours Forum
Jan 6, 2013
37,886
130,485
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football...ion-window-shut-premier-league-season-starts/

Transfer revolution: Window to shut before Premier League season starts next year

The transfer window will shut before the start of the season in sweeping new changes that are expected to be approved by the Premier League next month, Telegraph Sport has learned.

Representatives from the 20 top-flight clubs are to attend September’s shareholders’ meeting with the majority pushing for a new transfer deadline to be introduced, preventing managers from buying players after the season has got under way.

Telegraph Sport has discovered that moves are well advanced and already at “approval level”, in a potentially huge development for English football which is likely to be implemented next year.

It will be proposed that the deadline is brought forward to the week before the start of the 2018-19 Premier League season, with almost all of the 20 clubs understood to be behind the idea.

Watford are believed to be one of the few clubs to oppose it, but the League is expecting a majority vote of over two thirds to force significant changes.

This year’s summer transfer window closes on Aug 31, nearly three weeks after the season started, and is threatening to become another chaotic finale of last-minute deals.

Swansea City’s Gylfi Sigurdsson’s protracted £50 million move to Everton has been one of the sagas of the summer, while Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk’s future remains uncertain amid interest from rival clubs including Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City.

Sigurdsson and Van Dijk did not feature for their respective clubs in their opening games this season due to the uncertainty. Sigurdsson was left at home during Swansea’s tour of the United States as he was not “in the right frame of mind”, while Van Dijk has submitted a written transfer request in an attempt to force a move, following Liverpool’s pursuit.

Ross Barkley’s situation at Everton continues to be under scrutiny and it is thought that Tottenham Hotspur – notoriously late operators in transfer windows – are poised to make their move for the midfielder later this month.

Many managers, including most recently Swansea’s Paul Clement, have criticised the current set-up and the mood for change is shared in most of the boardrooms across the country.

After the 0-0 draw with Southampton on Saturday, Clement said: “There’s frustration here and I’m sure Southampton are frustrated, too. That’s why I think if the window is shut before the season starts everything is sorted out and we can get on with the football.

“At our managers’ meeting at the Premier League last week, we spoke about it. The majority of clubs are in favour, but maybe all have to be for it to go through.”

Under the proposed new rules it is understood that English top-flight clubs will be permitted to sell players to clubs in other countries, but transfer deals from one Premier League club to another are to be off limits when the season starts.

The Premier League will act unilaterally, it is thought, and does not require approval from leagues in other countries to sign off the changes.

It remains unclear whether there will be any impact on the Football League at this stage, though it appears likely to be a formality in future.

Jonathan Barnett, the chairman of leading football agency Stellar Group, believes the proposed changes will have little effect on how clubs do their business.

“It makes sense and could make clubs more focused to do their deals early, but there will still be a deadline which creates panic,” he said.

“People will still be unable to make their minds up and clubs won’t be agreeing deals. The selling clubs will still think they can get a bit more and hold out for more money.

“I don’t like the idea of last-minute pushing and shoving, but even with the deadline being brought forward there will be ridiculous things happening before the window closes. It doesn’t seem to affect other countries like it does with England.”

The Premier League’s next shareholders’ meeting is scheduled to take place in London on Sept 7, a week after the summer transfer window closes.

In the last meeting, held in Harrogate in June, the TV rights deal for the 2019-20 season onwards was one of the main agenda items and will be discussed further next month.

The prospect of games being played on Saturday nights and even Sunday mornings were mooted, while many of the smaller top-flight clubs are opposed to plans by the ‘Big Six’ for a greater share of money from games shown overseas.
 

Ben1

Well-Known Member
Jun 22, 2015
2,130
8,411
great idea, logical move and much needed. However, this is the premier league so who knows.
 

werty

Well-Known Member
Aug 8, 2005
25,074
26,310
Not really in favour of it unless the other big European leagues bring it forward too.
 

GLUESODA

Active Member
Sep 28, 2004
781
121
I think a week after the first game Should be the limit - 3 weeks is way to much.
 

widmerpool

Well-Known Member
Jun 18, 2012
3,378
5,605
Start the season later and abolish international friendlies. Problem solved.
 

Maxtremist

Well-Known Member
Jun 11, 2014
1,530
3,300
As has been said, only if the other big European league's agree.
Also... in a world cup year? I don't see that working out well.
 

Gb160

Well done boys. Good process
Jun 20, 2012
23,646
93,314
About time too.
We were discussing this in another thread recently and no one could come up with a decent argument for the way it currently is...all this guff about 'managers might see a weakness they need to address' and 'what if a player gets injured in the first game and needs replacing'.....tough shit, assess your squad in the summer and deal with it then, that's what you're paid millions of pounds per season to do.
 

al_pacino

woo
Feb 2, 2005
4,569
4,105
Why the feck are Watford opposing it?

Because the same owners also own Udinese and on more than a few occasions a player has been signed and then it has been decided which club he should play for(was even more common when they also owned Granada). As @Ben1 says they really play the market, in the local paper the other week there was a story about 5(I think) players going on loan to one club in Spain but those players were never really confirmed as being on Watfords books before, and that is not a unique occurrence with them.
 

teok

Well-Known Member
Aug 11, 2011
10,836
33,607
Not really in favour of it unless the other big European leagues bring it forward too.

They obviously won't. It's still a good idea though. If foreign clubs want the PL money they will just have to deal earlier. I don't think much will change for them.

I'm totally in favour.
 

Maxtremist

Well-Known Member
Jun 11, 2014
1,530
3,300
About time too.
We were discussing this in another thread recently and no one could come up with a decent argument for the way it currently is...all this guff about 'managers might see a weakness they need to address' and 'what if a player gets injured in the first game and needs replacing'.....tough shit, assess your squad in the summer and deal with it then, that's what you're paid millions of pounds per season to do.

I'm all for it changing to before, would be curious to see if the rest of Europe followed suit. Also how this would work in a world cup year. If the top players are playing till the start of January then need their holidays before the window closes on say July 31st... would be interested to see how that goes.

Not to say I'm against it, just I'd wanna see what happens on that side of things.
 

Gb160

Well done boys. Good process
Jun 20, 2012
23,646
93,314
I'm all for it changing to before, would be curious to see if the rest of Europe followed suit. Also how this would work in a world cup year. If the top players are playing till the start of January then need their holidays before the window closes on say July 31st... would be interested to see how that goes.

Not to say I'm against it, just I'd wanna see what happens on that side of things.
Then maybe they'd have to sacrifice and just have three weeks lounging about on their yachts, the poor souls ;)
Seriously i don't feel much for them, they are extremely privileged, their agents do most of the work anyway so flying off for a medical once the deals done doesn't put them out much.
 

Dennism

Well-Known Member
Dec 23, 2006
1,225
2,712
Voted for it but do have a concern about being out of line with the other European leagues.
 

Maxtremist

Well-Known Member
Jun 11, 2014
1,530
3,300
Then maybe they'd have to sacrifice and just have three weeks lounging about on their yachts, the poor souls ;)
Seriously i don't feel much for them, they are extremely privileged, their agents do most of the work anyway so flying off for a medical once the deals done doesn't put them out much.

Was more about the clubs than the players on that one but I guess your point still stands to some extent.

Yes they're extremely privileged and all that, no-one is denying that. Just will find it interesting to know how the players may feel. EG: Someone makes it to the final of the world cup, so has been playing football weekly from August - Start of July. Now in 3 weeks, when they finally have a break off football, they need to decide where they're going to be playing for the next few years, so also where they're going to live, what country they're going to live in etc...
 
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