A Shorter Summer Transfer Window Will Improve Early Season Quality

The Case for a Shorter Summer Transfer Window

To avoid such a mess in the future, Premier League clubs have set in motion an initiative to reduce the duration of the summer transfer window to before the new season is open, starting in 2018. This would give the managers more time to plan and organize their squads.

The clubs would still be able to sell their players abroad, but they would be more reluctant than ever to do so given the fact that they wouldn’t be able to sign any replacements. There would still be a deadline frenzy, due to the fact that there would still be a deadline, but at least it wouldn’t be happening at a time when managers and players need to focus on the game itself.

A shareholders meeting is scheduled to take place in September with representatives from all 20 clubs expected to attend. And according to The Telegraph, the majority will support the new transfer window deadline being imposed. They claim Watford are one of the few clubs opposed to the idea.

As it now stands, the transfer window ends on August 31st. By that time, the Premier League season will have kicked off properly with three rounds already played. However, plenty of important players are still in limbo, and their respective futures aren’t likely to be resolved very quick.

Philippe Coutinho is waiting to see if he will get his wish and move to Barcelona having handed in a transfer request. Even though such a move would not be formally prevented had the new deadline been in place this summer, it’s hard to imagine Liverpool selling if they are unable to sign a replacement.

The same would apply for Diego Costa who is angling for a move back to Atletico Madrid. Unlike with Coutinho and Liverpool, Chelsea have already signed a high-profile successor in Alvaro Morata.

On the other hand, Virgil van Dijk would have to shelve his plans to move from Southampton to Liverpool, just as Alexis Sanchez who is being linked with Manchester City, Gylfi Sigurdsson who is trying to trade Swansea for Everton, and Ross Barkley who is believed to be a target for Tottenham Hotspur, according to The Telegraph.

This all means that most Premier League clubs would have a much cleaner situation come the new season, making them all more stable and focused. In turn, this would improve the quality of the games played in the second half of August.