Premier League agrees to transfer window rule change
European top leagues, including the Premier League, are edging closer to a major overhaul of the summer transfer window. These leagues want the window to close before the start of the season. The move is intended to create a more stable environment for clubs and players. It can reduce the chaos that often surrounds the final weeks of the window. The proposed change could be implemented as early as the 2025-26 season. Thus, it has already garnered significant support from key figures across the soccer world.
For many years, top European leagues have grappled with the issues arising from transfer windows remaining open after the season has kicked off. This practice has been particularly problematic in leagues like Serie A. There, the season used to begin after the transfer window closed. However, in recent years, the Italian league has started earlier due to the increasingly packed calendar. Clubs have scrambled to find players throughout the opening weeks of the season. Players often feature in early matches only for clubs to sell them soon after. Clubs then hurriedly search for replacements—often at inflated prices.
Gabriele Gravina, President of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), has been vocal in his criticism of this system. He has also advocated for a uniform closing of the transfer window across Europe before the first matchday. He believes this move would bring more stability to the game.
Premier League finally takes action
The Premier League has now joined forces with other top European leagues, including Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1, to push for a synchronized transfer window deadline that closes before the season begins. According to The Mirror, the Premier League is considering a proposal to shut the summer transfer window before the start of the 2025-26 campaign. This decision could come before the end of 2024.
This move comes after this summer window saw English top-flight clubs spend over $2.3 billion on new signings. That included significant movement after the season began. For instance, Tottenham made their most expensive signing of the summer, Dominic Solanke, for $87 million just a week before the Premier League season started. Yet, there was still substantial activity in the final days of the window. High-profile players like Aaron Ramsdale, Raheem Sterling, and Jadon Sancho all secured transfers just before the deadline.
Ferran Soriano, Manchester City’s chief executive, and Peter Lawwell, Celtic’s non-executive chairman, are both members of the European Club Association’s (ECA) board of directors, and they are playing a key role in pushing for this reform. According to Chris Woerts, a prominent figure in the Eredivisie and former Sunderland director, “The clubs are working hard to get the decision made on this within the entire ECA. Next year the transfer window must close on August 15, before the leagues kick off.”
Challenges in achieving consensus
Despite the growing support for this reform, efforts to implement a synchronized transfer window deadline in Europe have faced obstacles. A previous attempt to close the window before the 2024-25 season faltered due to a lack of consensus among Europe’s top five leagues. One of the major roadblocks was Barcelona, dealing with severe financial issues. Thus, they needed extra time to sell players to balance the books and register new signings.
“One major club in Spain caused a problem so it couldn’t happen this year. That was FC Barcelona”, Woerts admitted. “Because of all their financial problems, they were not able to make moves on the transfer market until a very late stage. So, they broke the pact of the ‘Big Five’.”
LaLiga also withdrew from discussions. Pressure from Barcelona came as it needed, which needed to raise funds to register key players like Dani Olmo. As a result of the post-season sales of great players, this delay irritated other teams, especially smaller ones who had their preparations derailed.
The Premier League is now advocating for a more uniform deadline across Europe, hoping that the rest of the continent will follow suit. Thus, there are talks within the ECA to close the summer transfer window on August 15, one day before the next season begins. The goal is to have the new rule in place by the 2025-26 season, with all five of Europe’s major leagues on board.
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