Transfer deadline day debate: Potential move to shorten summer window will be beneficial in long run

Editor’s note: The debate over when the summer transfer window should shut has become a feature of football discussions this season. A variety of managers and players have opined that the window should shut before the new football season begins, while another set has made the argument that the present structure should not be tampered with. The following article offers the view that the transfer window should shut on the final day of August as it always has done. To read the opposing viewpoint, click here . Transfer deadline day. A day when one sees reporters and TV crews camping outside football clubs waiting for any scrap of transfer news while being harassed by drunk fans who stop at nothing for their 15 seconds of fame. It is the day when fans around the world remain glued to the telly or Twitter to catch a glimpse of their club’s last ditch signing of the transfer window. The last day of the summer transfer window of the Premier League — 31 August — has seen many major signings take place. Wayne Rooney moved to Manchester United from Everton all those years ago, becoming the most expensive teenage player. Gareth Bale left Tottenham Hotspur for Real Madrid in a world-record move while West Ham United’s move to sign Argentine starlets Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano looks absolutely stunning in hindsight. Chelsea’s deadline day last season acquisitions, David Luiz and Marcos Alonso were key to Chelsea’s title run. However, all these signings were done after the football season had begun in Europe’s top leagues. After a pre-season, which lasted for a month, during which time managers formulated their plans for the upcoming season while trying to integrate their new signings into the club as quickly and smoothly as possible. [caption id=“attachment_3992793” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho remains Barcelona’s number one target. Reuters[/caption] Therefore, the possibility of losing one of your key players days before the start of the season is a harrowing prospect for any club. Ask Swansea manager Paul Clement. The Swans narrowly avoided relegation last time around thanks in part to Icelandic midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson and Spanish striker Fernando Llorente. The duo formed an effective partnership and scored 23 goals between them making sure the Welsh side guaranteed their place in the Premier League for another season. Their performance for the club caught the eye of many teams with Everton finally signing Sigurdsson for £45 million after more than a month of negotiations on 15 August, three days after the start of the season. While it is a coup for Everton, Swansea will have to juggle their Premier League commitments along with finding a player in less than 15 days to fill the void left by Sigurdsson. A day before Sigurdsson’s departure, Clement said, “If Gylfi goes, we could get two in. The reality is it could go to the final day. But we want the time to do the negotiating.” Swansea have still not signed a player. If sources are to be believed, Swansea might sign Bayern Munich’s Renato Sanches on a one-year loan deal in a transfer coup, thanks to Clement’s connections at his former club. However, in the likely event of Sanches vetoing the move, the Welsh side would most likely fail to land a player. To rub salt in their wounds, reports suggest that Chelsea and Tottenham are planning a last minute bid for Llorente. Swansea, therefore, will be losing their two best players after the start of the season without finding replacements. The Sigurdsson deal was one of the relatively smooth deals to be completed this transfer window. Barcelona’s pursuit of Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho and Liverpool’s pursuit of Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk has dominated headlines. Both Coutinho and van Dijk have handed in transfer requests only for their clubs to deny them their wishes. While Coutinho has been sidelined due to an apparent illness, Van Dijk mutinied and went public with his desire to leave the Saints. This is despite Liverpool being pulled up by the authorities for illegally trying to sign the Dutchman earlier in the transfer window. Coutinho and Van Dijk are very important players for their respective clubs, and allowing their transfer saga to spill onto the new season has only harmed the harmony of the squad. Saints’ stand-in skipper Steven Davis warned vVn Dijk that he will face a fight for his place in the team in the event he doesn’t leave the club. This season, the deadline day coincides with the international break. France manager Didier Deschamps has had to issue a diktat banning players from leaving the camp to complete their moves to ensure that his players focus on the national side. In 2014, the deadline day was on a weekend which meant that managers had to prepare for matches as well as brace for any last-minute deals. That window saw Manchester United sign Radamel Falcao and Daley Blind, while letting Danny Welbeck join Arsenal hours after their Premier League matches. One week from now, Premier League clubs will meet to discuss the prospect of shutting the transfer window before the season starts. The move has been reported to be agreed by a majority of clubs and managers who have previously called for the transfer window to shut on 31 July. Arsene Wenger has been in support of a shorter transfer window for a long time and in 2015 had said, “Does it bother me the window is still open? Yes, because it creates uncertainties. At the start of the season everybody should be committed, not half-in, half-out.” Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said, “An earlier transfer deadline day would have helped us this year. In general, it makes sense that when the season starts that the planning is over.” The news was applauded by the majority of the fans and enthusiasts, but many had concerns. The decision to end the transfer window before the start of the season will only apply to the Premier League and won’t affect other leagues in Europe. So Barcelona might sign Philippe Coutinho after 31 July but Jurgen Klopp would not be allowed to sign a replacement for the departing Brazilian. Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola called on the UEFA to shorten the transfer window for all leagues across Europe and said, “Unfortunately the market finishes on 31 August. I think that’s a huge mistake from UEFA. I think the market should finish when we start the season, it’s too long, too large. We are playing here with guys who maybe will not continue, or with players who are coming but are not here.” However, the Premier League is not the only critic of the extended transfer window, with the French players union calling for the transfer window to be shortened to avoid disputes between players and clubs continuing into the start of the season. The Premier League is the most popular and competitive league in the world and is a trailblazer for other leagues to follow. The revenue-sharing model of the Premier League was adopted by the La Liga to ensure that clubs apart from Real Madrid and Barcelona get a fair share of the TV rights. Nobody likes change. For the Premier League to move out of its comfort zone and adopt a stance contrary to the prevailing norms in Europe is applause worthy and needs to be backed by UEFA and FIFA. To read the opposing viewpoint titled 'Closing the summer window before season begins makes little sense', click here.