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Would you like Premier League to adopt France transfer system extra ‘Joker’ signing?

3 years ago
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The Premier League summer transfer window ended on 31 August 2021.

Over in France and Ligue 1, it was the same closing date.

However, there is one subtle difference…

I can honestly say I have never heard of this before and thought it was some kind of joke, when reading it on GFFN (see below) earlier today.

It caught my eye especially because former Newcastle loan player Islam Slimani was mentioned, as was M’Bate Niang who was linked with Newcastle from around 2013 to 2015, with even claims AC Milan turned down a £5m bid for Niang in 2015.

Anyway, GFFN listed those two amongst a list of strikers who Bordeaux could potentially sign in the days / weeks to come.

They talked of a ‘wild card’ signing for the struggling Ligue 1 club, then when I looked elsewhere I saw (see below) that it is also referred to as a ‘joker’ signing.

Basically, it turns out that Ligue 1 clubs are allowed to sign one more player, after the summer window closes and before the winter one opens. The only stipulation is that the player signed has to be from another French club.

As I say above, I can’t believe I have never heard of this before.

So, would you like to see this implemented in the Premier League / England?

To be honest, the media are bad enough with transfer ‘stories’ even after the window closes and signings are impossible for a matter of months, so just imagine how much worse they would then be if it were still possible for each Premier League club to sign one player each in September through to December?

Also, imagine say you are not one of the ‘big six’ and you have your star player targeted and unsettled by one of the ‘big’ clubs, then if they do force a transfer you would then be limited to trying to sign a replacement from only another Premier League club who will be doing everything not to sell their own better players.

There again, with Mike Ashley now apparently restricting Newcastle United to only one signing per year, what difference would it make to us on the buying side of things?

GFFN report – 13 September 2021:

‘Languishing at the foot of the fledgling Ligue 1 table, Bordeaux are continuing their search for a source of goals long after the closing of the summer transfer window.

French clubs are allowed to make one “wild card” transfer per season outside the usual transfer windows, assuming it comes from another French club. As Foot Mercato reported, exiled Rennes striker M’Baye Niang and Islam Slimani of Lyon have made the shortlist, with Strasbourg’s forward Habib Diallo now joining them.’

Marca report – 4 September 2021:

‘The French Football Federation grants clubs in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 the chance to use a ‘joker’ and sign a player outside of the transfer window.

“A club in Ligue 1 or Ligue 2 can use a ‘joker’ from the day after the summer window until the day before the winter window,” point four of article 213 states.

“Only players that are French Football Federation licence holders for the current season can be included.

“So, French clubs can sign a player already based in France outside of the transfer window and that’s exactly what Andre Villas-Boas’ Marseille have done with Rongier.’

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