Soccer

The Impact a Shorter Transfer Window Will Have on English Premier League Clubs

by
Lungelo Mdladla
September 8, 2017

14 clubs have voted in favour of the shortening of the English Premier League transfer window, but what does this mean for Europe?

The English Premier league will now close its transfer window on Thursday, August 9, two days before the 2018-19 season starts, but the major European leagues La Liga, French Ligue, Bundesliga, and Serie A will still close an extensive number of days after the English Premier league has commenced.

Clubs Cast Vote
This year we saw massive disruptions at Arsenal and Liverpool when Alexis Sanches and Phillipe Coutinho were on the verge of leaving their clubs for Manchester City and Barcelona respectively.

Now after complaints from Premier League clubs and managers, a vote was made in favour for the window to close before a ball is kicked – but this window doesn’t correlate with the rest of the European leagues – meaning it really doesn’t make a difference to the sagas we saw at deadline day.

14 clubs voted in favour for the ruling and five clubs – Manchester United, Swansea, Manchester City, Crystal Palace voted against the ruling while Burnley abstained from the vote altogether.
This means the English Premier League can lose players to other leagues in Europe and will not be able to replace them should their players be purchased in the period after their EPL window closes.

What this means for Euro Giants
The European transfer windows close on the 31st of August for Germany, Italy and France, with the Spanish closing on the 1st of September, that means the leagues that close on the 31st of August have exactly 22 days while Spain has 23 days more buying power over their rival clubs in the Premier League. Why should the European leagues adhere with syncing with the Premier League transfer window if they can potentially out-muscle the EPL by snatching the best players in their league? The answer is simple, there is absolutely no reason.

The main issue EPL clubs had was players shifting internally to other clubs within the Premier League after the season had kicked off, but this still leaves the EPL vulnerable to European giants swooping in like vultures to grab any player of their choice who’s seeking a new challenge at a prestigious club in Europe.

With the gargantuan amounts of money being spent these days, clubs simply can’t refuse some offers and the money will be even more as years progress and records will tumble as we have seen in recent years.

Below is a list of top tier players who have left the English Premier League for Europe, now imagine if these players left in the 22 – 23 day period after the English Premier league transfer window closes and clubs were not able to replace them.

Ask yourself this – what impact would that have on an English Premier League club on the hunt for a UEFA champions league trophy, or let alone the English Premier League?

Top English Premier League Players Sold to European Leagues