Newsletter

Get your daily update and weekly newsletter by signing up today!

Opinion

Premier League summer transfer window opens in 16 days time – Not wanting to worry anybody but…

6 years ago
Share

Eight months ago a vote was taken to move the Premier League Summer transfer window, as from the 2018/19 season.

The motion put forward to the current 20 Premier League clubs was that the transfer window would now close at 5pm on the Thursday before the season kicks off, whilst it will now open ‘shortly after the previous season ends’.

The vote wasn’t unanimous but enough to get the job done.

There were 14 in favour, five against, and one abstained.

Voted For

Newcastle United, Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea, West Brom, Southampton, Burnley, Liverpool, Everton, Leicester, Bournemouth, Brighton, Huddersfield, Stoke

Voted Against

Manchester United, Manchester City, Watford, Swansea, Crystal Palace

Abstained

Burnley

The Premier League summer transfer window opens on 17 May 2018 this year (some media had claimed 9 June 2018 but overwhelming majority say 17 May, it doesn’t help clarity though when even the official Premier League website is still saying it opens ‘soon after the Premier League finishes’), then closes at 5pm on Thursday 9 August 2018, with the season kicking off on the weekend of Sat 11 August.

Premier League/EFL

17 May – 9 August

Spain, Italy, Germany, France

1 June  –  31 August

Some people have claimed that the new arrangement gives the other European clubs a major advantage, as they have an extra 22 days where they could buy Premier League players (and those from the EFL), whereas English clubs will only be able to sell and not buy.

However, you can also say that well run and organised Premier League clubs will have a big advantage at the opposite end, able to buy players from all the European leagues (and beyond), whilst those in Spain, Germany etc etc can’t.

Which brings us to Newcastle United.

The Premier League season ends in 12 days time and four days later the summer transfer window opens.

With the World Cup kicking off only four weeks after the window opens, then the opening days/weeks of being able to buy players should/could be crucial.

With Rafa Benitez having shown he can identify and put forward early transfer deals in these past transfer windows at Newcastle, it should be good news.

However, with Mike Ashley and his minions having repeatedly failed to follow up this early preparation work from Rafa, it could be disastrous if repeated.

With question marks still hanging over who will own NUFC in the near future, plus the manager still yet to commit to a contract extension beyond the one year he has left, can we really believe that for once all the ducks will be lined up in a row with transfer budget agreed and Rafa fully backed to bring in the players he needs/wants?

If common sense prevails then this could go really well and Newcastle put some great building blocks in place for next season and beyond BUT if it is more of the usual, we could be looking at an epic own goal which would be beyond anything else Mike Ashley has previously ‘achieved’.
[get_involved]

Share

If you would like to feature on The Mag, submit your article to contribute@themag.co.uk

Have your say

© 2024 The Mag. All Rights Reserved. Design & Build by Mediaworks