Murky window could still do with clean up
LOAN LOOPHOLE HAS GIVEN CLUBS CHANCE TO BEAT DEADLINE...
HAVE the transfer window changes this summer improved things in the EFL? I’m not so sure.
To recap, Premier League clubs voted last September to close the window before the start of the new season. Buying activity finished on August 9 (though it continued until the end of the month in the rest of Europe’s major leagues).
Managers had complained that there was too much uncertainty with their squads and preparations if they could lose players to rivals in the opening weeks of the season.
You can argue that this has worked well in the top-flight. Clubs made their signings before the Premier League kicked off and knew where they stood (apart from possible outgoings).
In February, EFL clubs followed suit and decided permanent signings could not be made after August 9.
However, this is where the waters become muddied. EFL clubs could sign players on standard loans up to August 31 with an option to agree a permanent transfer when the next window opens.
This latter possibility is one which EFL clubs have made use of. For example, Millwall signed Barnsley’s Tom Bradshaw initially on loan, but the move will become permanent for a £1m fee in January. The Lions said the striker has ‘agreed a long-term deal’.
Likewise, Coventry have signed striker Conor Chaplin from Portsmouth on loan, with an agreement to sign him permanently for an undisclosed fee in January.
Effectively, these deals are sidestepping the closure of the window for permanent signings. They are permanent signings in all but name.
Therefore, would it not be better for all concerned if the EFL just left their window for permanent signings open until the end of the month?
There is still a benefit in that Premier League clubs cannot swoop for their players.
And if you are a player in one of these ‘loan’ moves, surely you would feel better if you were 100 per cent a Millwall or Coventry player from the off. It might psychologically make a difference.
How cut and dried are these ‘agreements to sign permanently in January’? You would expect them to be rock-solid given the investment the clubs are making, but if a week is a long time in politics, then five months is an eternity in football.
You can look at it in different ways. What if a player goes on loan to a club from August to December and has a disaster? Or if he picks up a serious injury? Or if there is a change of manager and the new boss doesn’t fancy him?
Will that buying club then still be so keen to go through with the permanent agreement?
Likewise, if the player has an absolute stormer and scores a hatful, will the selling club be keen to go with the initial arrangement if other potential purchasers are willing to stump up more?
All in all, you’ve got to wonder if the new window regulations in the EFL are really necessary. It may well be simpler for clubs to be able to make loan and permanent signings up until the end of August rather than have the current halfway house set-up we’ve got at present.
At least the window for loans and permanent signings has now closed, and the dust can settle. Perhaps the whole issue is worth another look next year.