February 6 – Premier League clubs have voted to change the summer transfer window to bring it in line with the rest of Europe.
For the past two seasons, the window in England closed the day before the domestic top-flight campaign began even though the deadline for most of Europe is the end of August, potentially giving foreign clubs a competitive advantage in the player recruitment market.
In a statement, the Premier League said the deadline has been changed back to the “traditional point at the end of August/early September”.
The 2020 closing date will be September 1.
Ironically the window was moved to the beginning of August in England following complaints from clubs and managers that keeping it open after the start of the season made it impossible to plan.
It was hoped other major leagues across Europe would also bring their own windows forward too but they stuck to the status quo, meaning English players could still move overseas during a brief period without adequate replacements coming in.
Today’s vote to revert back was taken at a Premier League shareholders’ meeting in London.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has previously voiced his support for bringing the closure of the summer transfer window into line with the rest of Europe.
“I don’t care when it closes, but it must close at the same time,” he said in September.
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