Premier League to shut transfer window before season kick-off
>> LONDON: English Premier League clubs voted on Thursday to shut the 2018 close-season transfer window before the start of the 201819 campaign.
Following complaints by managers that transfer activity disturbs their preparations, clubs will not be able to register new players after midnight, British time, on the Thursday before the season starts.
The transfer window in Europe’s other major leagues runs until Aug 31, meaning clubs outside England can buy players from English topflight teams after the new Premier League deadline.
“Premier League clubs have today agreed to a rule amendment that will see the summer transfer window in any year end at 17:00 on the Thursday before the start of the season,” the Premier League said in a statement.
“This is for Premier League clubs only and has no bearing on other leagues and competitions.”
Europe’s other major leagues — Spain’s Liga, Italy’s Serie A, the German Bundesliga and France’s Ligue 1 — now face a decision about whether to fall into line with England.
Juventus CEO Giuseppe Marotta says Serie A’s 20 clubs are in agreement to “set the end of the transfer window on July 31” in Italy.
“The transfer window is exhausting,” he said recently. “It’s become a circus.”
The French league also suggested it was also in support of following the Premier League’s example.
“In principle, the Professional Football League [LFP] is in favour of bringing the closing date forwards to before the start of the championship,” an LFP official told AFP.
But the German league (DFL) said there was no clear consensus among the Bundesliga’s top clubs.
The Premier League’s move was announced following a meeting of club officials and is not believed to have been agreed unanimously.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger gave his backing to the decision before it was announced.
“Even in the games, you sit there before the games and even in players’ minds they have no clarity,” he told reporters at his weekly press conference.
“Are they in? Are they out? Are they half in? Are they half out? Are they trapped up in the afternoon of the game by people who want to get them out? It’s not the way to work and it’s uncomfortable.
“Every single manager in the league would agree that it’s time to kick that out before the season starts.”