English top flight should go further than closing transfer window earlier

Premier League clubs are in talks to change the transfer window. In the spirit of Brexit they are going to vote on whether they go their own way and stop letting the faceless bureaucrats tell them how to run their clubs.

At least that seems to be the argument for shutting the transfer window on the eve of the season, even if it is mostly the European managers in the Premier League who are voicing favor for such a move.

This unilateral uncoupling from the current transfer window would mean that Premier League clubs could no longer buy players once the season had kicked off. It would not mean they could not sell players, though, as the window would still be ajar for overseas clubs. If that was this season, it would mean Eng- lish sides spending nearly three weeks wondering if they had got away with it or if they were going to lose a player with no opportunity to replace them until January.

There are pros and cons, of course. Clubs don’t need to sell unless they are made an offer they can’t refuse and that’s good for their finances, especially when they can’t immediately spend it. It also means that youth would have to be given a chance as it would be the only option. Both could be positives for the Premier League.

On the negative side it would mean two transfer deadline days: one for the Premier League and one for the rest of Europe. That seems like another circle of hell, although the modern soccer fans who love transfers more than the sport itself would surely be delighted. It’s not a case of if it ain’t broke don’t fix it – the current chaos is clear evidence that it is broken – but what is the solution?

On the one hand, abolish the transfer window, aka a return to the good old days. Sadly, in the modern age this would mean a year of transfer speculation, social media demands that clubs “announce” player X and the constant fear your team is about to be picked apart. That’s the cynical view.

The positive would be a situation like the one where Eric Cantona waltzes into town partway through the season and leads the club to their first league title for a generation. That’s what he did at Leeds United in 1991- 92 and then he did the exact same thing at Manchester United in 1992- 93. January window aside, the current system has removed the possibility for managers to add that missing jigsaw piece.

A more revolutionary option would be for the UEFA transfer window to be much shorter. This could be one month, a week, or even just one day. Why not get it all out of the way and give the people who love to talk about net spend with more passion than they do matches a sensory overload? All sail for the transfer porthole.