Transfer deadline rethink is relief for Rodgers

PREMIER LEAGUE CLUBS VOTE FOR A RETURN TO TRADITION

PREMIER League clubs have voted to change back to the traditional transfer window dates from the 2020-21 season in a move that will please Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers.

The change will move the closing date back to the end of August/early September, meaning the 2020 closing date will be at 5pm on September 1, as August 31 is a bank holiday.

For the past two seasons, the window in England has closed the day before the start of the

Premier League season. However, this caused problems as it was not aligned with the rest of Europe.

When the change was made, it was hoped that the rest of Europe’s major leagues would follow suit.

But that did not happen, leaving a number of clubs in a difficult position, knowing their players were in demand but unable to replace them if a continental swooped.

It was a concern expressed by side

Rodgers, who said last August: “My feeling when I was up in Scotland, looking at it from the outside in, it felt like the Premier League was at a disadvantage.

“My feeling was that there needed to be an alignment. “I can understand why people would want the window to shut before the season had started. I absolutely get that. “But of course then, if some of the other big leagues in Europe, and that doesn’t fall into line, that can make it com‘AlIgnmEnT’: Brendan Rodgers plicated because you can still lose a top player. I think most clubs would focus on not losing that player.

“There could still be a few weeks of being unstable because the player may want to move.”

“If there was an alignment across all the leagues, and it was the same for everyone, it would be better.”

The announcement follows the confirmation that the new Premier League season will commence on Saturday, August 8, meaning there will be three weekends of action before the transfer window closes.

It also means there will be less than a month between the Euro 2020 final on July 12 and the start of the Premier League campaign.

There will be three weekends of Premier League action before the transfer window closes next season