EPLsidesfor transfer reforms
IN UNISON Clubs in favour of move that will see transfer window shut a week before season kicks off
A radical reform to the transfer window in England is to be proposed, and probably approved, by Premier League clubs next month according to the Daily Telegraph on Tuesday.
It is believed over two-thirds of the 20 clubs are in agreement for the close season transfer window to shut a week before the campaign gets underway and not, as is the current case, on August 31, a fortnight after it begins.
Part of the reason is to avoid discord affecting certain clubs once the season is off and running. Several top players are in dispute with their present clubs.
Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk is one such case with the Dutch international defender training on his own as several higher profile clubs chase his signature, while Icelandic star Gylfi Sigurdsson is another who is pushing for a £50 million move to Everton.
“There’s frustration here and I’m sure Southampton are frustrated, too,” Swansea manager Paul Clement said after his side had drawn 0-0 with Southampton on Saturday.
“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.”
The proposals would not affect transfers from Premier League clubs to foreign sides or vice versa, thus Diego Costa and Philippe Coutinho’s desire for moves from respectively champions Chelsea to Atletico Madrid and Liverpool to Barcelona could still go ahead.
Influential agent Jonathan Barnett told the newspaper he doesn’t think the proposals would stop clubs making last day panic buys.
“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 told the newspaper.
The proposals are likely to be debated by Premier League clubs at a meeting in London on September 7.
spectacular and humiliating spectacle experienced by a national side as the entire squad refused to get off the bus for a training session at the 2010 World Cup.
coach Raymond Domenech had been provoked by the sending home of Nicolas Anelka.
had launched a foul-mouthed tirade at Domenech at half-time over his tactics in the first-half ofthe opening loss against
Mexico, and was duly punished.
Skipper
Patrice Evra,
Anelka and others were punished on their return to France.
to go some distance to outdo Dutch international Winston Bogarde in causing as much trouble for
Chelsea.
and apparently without the knowledge of then Blues manager Gianluca Vialli in the played up to his nickname of 'Apache' by refusing to warm up to potentially go on as a substitute for Man City in the last moments of a Champions League match in September 2011 against Bayern. was instrumental in Nottingham
Forest returning totheEPLatthe first time of asking in the late 1990s, but he went on strike at the start of the 1998-99 season because he was furious with 2000/01 season, the latter's successor Claudio Ranieri disliked him so much that he wanted the player to leave just weeks later.
in
and stayed on for four years, despite being dropped first to the reserves and then the youth team. said Tevez would never play for City again. But a combination of his massive wages and the huge fee City were asking meant there were no takers for the Argentine. Tevez holidayed in Argentina and considered retiring before eventually returning to the first team in March 2012. club’s decision to sell key players. at his old club NAC Breda and demanded a move, which was rejected. He eventually yielded and manager Dave Bassett felt compelled to play him. When he scored his first goal on return, the players congratulated Scott Gemmill for creating the chance and not him. Dimitar Berbatov tested the patience of the Tottenham Hotspur hierarchy and manager Juande Ramos as he looked to engineer a multi-million pound move to Manchester United at the beginning of the 2008-09 campaign.
who learnt English by watching the Godfather films, he awaited an offer Spurs couldn't reject. He refused to play in the Premier League game with Sunderland and was threatened with demotion to the reserves. Spurs complained to the Premier League about United
'tapping up' the striker but eventually sold him that season for £30 million.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Gianluigi Buffon have been nominated for the UEFA’s Player of the Year award, the sport’s European governing body said on Tuesday.
Ronaldo helped Real Madrid to a second consecutive Champions League title and finished as the tournament’s top scorer with 12 goals. Goalkeeper Buffon led Juventus to a sixth successive Serie A title, a third-straight Italian Cup success and a runner-up finish in the Champions League.
Messi claimed the Spanish King’s Cup with Barcelona and finished as La Liga’s top scorer with 37 goals last season.
The three-player shortlist was selected by a panel of 80 coaches of the clubs which participated in the group stage of the 2016-17 Champions League and Europa League and 55 journalists selected by the European Sports Media (ESM) group, representing
each of UEFA’s member associations. Messi and Ronaldo have both won the award twice, with the Portugal international voted winner last year.
Tevez has been granted a return to Argentina for treatment on a calf injury, but only after agreeing in writing to return to Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua before
the end of the month.
Speculation has been mounting in local media that the former Manchester United and Juventus forward was attempting to orchestrate a move back to Boca Juniors, who sold the 33-year-old to Shenhua for €11 million in January.
He has played just 11 times in the league for Shenhua, scoring twice, with his fitful performances blamed on the injury that first occurred in April.