Seeing the first Christmas items on sale at my local supermarket this week made me shake my head at the corporate world. But witnessing the insanity brought about by a transfer window is what really infuriates this football fan.
The only thing the current transfer window is good for is that it gives football enthusiasts, such as yours truly, something to read about over the summer.
As TV revenues soar, attendance figures continue to rise, and the game becomes truly global, it seems only the current transfer system can stop the games’ progression.
Until the system is changed, I’d like to see a move towards some of the complex scenarios seen in the NBA and NFL, with multiple parties/players. This would allow clubs to move players on and find a replacement as part of the deal.
As it stands, the transfer market has changed drastically over the last few years as the business side of football grows.
We are seeing more and more loans with buy options than ever before, more fees being paid incrementally, and with more “add-on’s”, placing the emphasis on performance, while at the same time, prices are increasing disproportionally to inflation.
The perfect example was Cristiano Ronaldo’s £80 Million transfer to Real Madrid.
EPL new boys Birmingham City are currently in talks about a possible takeover and the figure being mentioned is £70 Million. So now one player costs more than a club?
How can Birmingham City possibly compete with a club who has more funds for players than their club is even worth?
All the current transfer window serves to do is drive up prices and drastically hinder the modern squad game. It restricts player movement and makes it extremely difficult for the less wealthy teams, turning them into feeder clubs rather than genuine competitors.
The current system needs a total work over and the sooner the better.
Firstly, do away with the windows, only have a “no transfer window” for maybe the last 2-3 months of a season so that teams can’t buy themselves a title or safety from relegation for that matter.
This would immediately bring prices down as the time constraints would disappear.
Currently, managers are extremely reluctant to sell players near the end of a transfer window given they will then have no time to find replacements.
That’s why Man Utd paid a ridiculous £30 Million for Berbatov last year, way over the odds for a player who is class, but surely not worth more than Ribery?
Tottenham accepted as it was “good business,” but it left them with a depleted strike force for half a season, something that probably resulted in Ramos losing his job and Spurs languishing in the drop zone until the January window opened and they went on a spending spree, purchasing their way to mid-table comfort.
Secondly, limit spending so that clubs can only use their own means.
This will be slightly fairer for smaller clubs as the investor dollars/roubles/dirham will not be available to buy up all the good players.
However, the already “larger” clubs will still have more to spend than the smaller ones so the system is already partially flawed, but an important step in bringing transfer fees down.
Lastly, limit the number of transfers.
As we have seen at Manchester City, with money comes new players. No fewer than 8 of their 11 starters in the last game at Portsmouth were purchased in 2009.
Allow clubs to bring in X amount of players per season – say 4, as in some cases clubs are barely recognisable after transfer window closures.
This shouldn’t apply to young players (under 23’s) who often need to go out on loan, but there is no reason a club should totally rebuild inside 12 months.
There is no one solution which will remedy all problems, but the administrators must do more to provide an even playing field for all clubs. Not just the rich ones.
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