Early Window Close: A Premier League Comedy of Errors…
In a twist that would make any football manager’s hair turn grey faster than a penalty shootout, several Premier League and Serie A clubs want the summer transfer window to shut before the season kicks off on August 16. Yep, the idea is to have all deals done before the season’s curtain goes up. Premier League bigwigs are gathering this Thursday, where 14 out of 20 clubs need to say “aye” for this plan to take off. Meanwhile, Italian clubs are nodding faster than bobbleheads, eager to close up shop earlier than your local pizzeria.
The plot thickens as La Liga, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1 are still lurking in the shadows, undecided on whether they’ll jump on this early closure bandwagon. The Premier League officially kicks off on August 16, but if you didn’t know, they’re quite fond of sneaking in a cheeky Friday night match on August 15. So, the transfer window could wrap up its drama on August 14. Clubs love keeping the suspense alive as they’ll have a whopping 81 days from the final whistle of the league’s last match on May 25.
Flashback to 2018 and 2019 when English clubs decided to shut the window faster than a defender slamming into a striker. JosĂ© Mourinho, our favorite philosopher-manager, grumbled about disadvantages like an Agatha Christie novel. Spoiler alert: Manchester United, despite Mourinho’s cautionary tales, ended their 2018 window with more plot twists than a soap opera, missing out on their center-back shopping spree. Fast forward to 2019, and Lukaku’s late departure left United’s attack as toothless as a granny’s smile until January when reinforcements finally arrived. United fans were left hoping their club’s transfer dealings wouldn’t become a repeat comedy show.
