Talks will take place at the upcoming shareholders’ meeting next month about whether to change the deadline of the summer transfer window, which currently closes almost three weeks after the start of the season.
This change would not stop clubs from other European leagues, such as Spain and Italy, from signing players from England up until the deadline of their own domestic windows.
West Ham vice-chairman, Karren Brady revealed earlier this week that the vast majority of Premier League clubs would favour changes made to the current transfer window but the Daily Mail’s Martin Samuel believes the idea is ill thought out and “stupid”.
Samuel said: “I think it’s a stupid idea, a terribly stupid idea. Because it doesn’t do anything you think it would do; it doesn’t actually stop clubs being interfered with, like the Philippe Coutinho situation, Barcelona aren’t going away.
“The more you shorten the transfer window, the more panicked everything becomes. So we say that closing the window before the season enables clubs to do their business early, but they will do their business early in a frenzy.
“Particularly for a team who is promoted, it gives them such a short amount of time to review and rebuild their squad. I can’t understand why any team that considers itself a yo-yo club would vote for it.”
The debate has raised concerns that Premier League clubs would lose out because they would be unable to sign reinforcements or replacements if a European club comes in for one of their players after the end of the domestic deadline, leading to a competitive disadvantage.
Samuel also insists that the change would create more problems than it would solve.
“It solves nothing with the Coutinho business, because Liverpool keep saying no, and Barcelona keep coming back. Liverpool can keep saying no right until the end of the window, and the transfer won’t take place, so why do you need a rule?
“Barcelona can still come in, because their window isn’t closed, and if they do decide to sell near the end of August, they couldn’t replace him!
“So it only works one way. It’s a really poorly thought-out idea, because it doesn’t sort out the problems it purports to solve, and creates a whole new raft of problems.”
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