The clamour for a change to the transfer window system is growing as Wednesday’s deadline looms, with some of the biggest names in English football leading the campaign.
Andre Villas-Boas sparked the debate, declaring his intention to raise the issue at UEFA’s two-day elite club coaches forum, which starts in Switzerland on Wednesday.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger supports the proposal from his Chelsea counterpart that the window should close before the season starts and Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is another who wants to see change.
Fabio Capello will share their frustration as he tries to prepare England for Euro 2012 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Wales with at least two of his squad deep in transfer negotiations and others surrounded by uncertainty.
The England manager has warned those embroiled in transfers that he expects disruption to be kept at a minimum.
It is disruption which has prompted Barclays Premier League managers to raise their voices, particularly since the art of sulking has evolved into a common tactic for want-away players.
Cesc Fabregas sulked until Arsenal accepted a cut-price offer from Barcelona and Luka Modric made it clear he did not want to play for Tottenham on Sunday, a reminder to the Spurs board that they might be better off selling an unhappy player.
But, having talked him into playing against Manchester City, Redknapp cannot be 100 per cent certain Modric will be at the club on Thursday.
Most managers would prefer to have their squad defined before the first game and further down football’s food chain, managers are convinced the transfer window system exaggerates the difference between the haves and have-nots.
Wealthier clubs can react to injuries by swooping for replacements with offers that are too good to refuse. It leaves the selling club with a hole in the squad and no time to find a replacement.
Even at Premier League level, clubs under financial pressure and with coveted players, such as Everton, are always vulnerable.
UEFA president Michel Platini accepted long ago that the system was flawed. ‘We need to get the strategic committee to look at the whole idea,’ he said in 2008 but nothing has changed.
In Monaco, before last week’s Champions League draw, Platini said: ‘You shouldn’t change clubs after the season starts. How can someone play for AC Milan against Juventus and then for Juventus against AC Milan in the same season?’
The windows, first introduced in 2002, were designed by FIFA but it is the FA, in conjunction with the Premier League and the Football League, which decides when ours open and close. They try to sychronise with other European nations.
There are serious reservations about the August weeks, however, with July 31 being promoted as a viable alternative, and about the January window because, like the start of the season, it is open when competition is active.
Howard Wilkinson, chairman of the League Managers’ Association, said: ‘I think it is clear that the majority feel there needs to be a review and definitely some fine-tuning.’
‘The intentions behind creating the window were good — stability, certainty, restricting agents’ destabilising activity and curbing the urge to buy emergency success.
‘However, when you consider the window was introduced nine years ago, it is certainly time it was reviewed to determine if the objectives have been met.
‘The window can inflate the transfer fee as it is near closing as a club attempts to finalise a deal. It places clubs, chairmen and managers under extreme pressure to “be seen to be doing something” — fans want to see a marquee signing.
'There is no quick fix or simple resolution but we would certainly welcome the major stakeholders debating the current situation and for UEFA to conduct an extensive review.’
Wilkinson added that the LMA intend to raise the issue at the stakeholders’ meeting in March and would welcome consultation with UEFA.
full story: Dailymail.co.uk
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