The ‘chaotic and nightmare’ life of EPL boss on deadline day

FOR supporters, Transfer Deadline Day is Christmas-come-early, but for managers it’s a completely different story.

As the rest of us endlessly refresh our social media feeds in a frenzied search for ‘Here We Go’s and ‘Comunicado Oficial’s, managers are skittishly jumping from phone call to phone call in a desperate attempt to keep plates spinning as they battle aggressive agents, unpredictable chairmen and temperamental players.

But don’t just take our word for it. When asked to sum up Transfer Deadline Day in one word, former Premier League boss Ian Holloway replied: “Chaos”.

“It’s chaotic … total madness,” the 59-year-old said speaking exclusively to Ladbrokes: Fanzone.

“If you’re a good club, and you’re run properly, you’ve already done your business. You might have an injury you need to address, but generally speaking, good clubs don’t need to buy in January.

“Right from the moment you wake up, as a manager, you’re worried about it. You’re on the phone, constantly. I’ve had chairman go missing, not answering their phone because they don’t want to do deals. I had one chairman bring me a player who I didn’t even know we were interested in!

“I swear at Crystal Palace one player in particular was definitely coming to us, he was in the door, and I’ve no idea how it went wrong. But off the back of that, I ended up with a player who — I’ll be honest with you — I never even wanted.

“When Deadline’s Day’s over, it’s a relief. Unless your best player has been sold and you haven’t had time to replace him … then it’s a nightmare. It’s an absolute nightmare.”

Holloway managed in English football for over decades, with notable spells at Blackpool, QPR, Crystal Palace, Millwall and Leicester City. He’s been out of a job since leaving Grimsby in 2020.