The Premier League has voted to close the summer transfer window before the season begins, a move which will change the landscape of the season’s opening weeks.
There are far more upsides to the move than downsides. The move should help clamp down on panic buys and bring cohesion to teams earlier in the season, but there are drawbacks for Premier League clubs.
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That’s because teams outside of the Premier League will still be able to buy players before the end of their transfer windows, which means big money teams like Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain will still have the chance to upset the proverbial apple carts of their England- and Wales-based peers.
The change could also seriously hamper the chances of safety for newly-promoted Premier League sides.
It’s not that those clubs would walk onto the pitch for opening day, learn they are more overmatched than expected, and have to wait half the campaign at a minimum for reinforcements. Rather it’s knowing that these clubs make most of their buys soon after promotion, and will face a more frenzied market earlier in the window.
These same clubs would have a further premium placed on scouting and signing players who make the cut. And they may face higher fees from teams abroad who know that Premier League business has to be completed by a certain date.
All-in-all, though, it will help the PL product on Opening Day and have the strong clubs more well-oiled for European competition.
