Premier League clubs can get their summer business done earlier than ever because the transfer window is going to open this Thursday.
The reason for bringing forward the opening of the window is due to the Premier League’s plans to also close the window before a ball is kicked next season and the decision was reached to comply with Fifa’s rules relating to transfers.
Sky Sports reports that this summer’s transfer window will now open on May 17 and close on August 9, before the beginning of the 2018/19 Premier League season.
Fifa requires each league to have at least one transfer window in a calendar year that lasts for 12 weeks.
Several managers have complained in the past about the disruption caused in the opening few weeks of the season by transfer business as players would often become unsettled by focusing on potential moves over winning games.
BREAKING: Sky sources: The @PremierLeague transfer window will now open this Thursday to comply with @FIFAcom rules. #SSN pic.twitter.com/wWkCcLiYYH
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) May 14, 2018
More: The @EFL are also thought to be planning a similar statement.#SSN
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) May 14, 2018
Premier League clubs voted last September for an earlier open and close, with the likes of Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho urging the league to approve the move.
“As a football manager and not a market man – just a football man just as somebody who wants to work with the team, work with the players – I would prefer the window to close as soon as possible,” Mourinho said last year.
“So everybody knows the players we have and the deals will be done earlier and nobody would be waiting for the last week.
“Then we wouldn’t have the situation of sometimes a player plays game number one for a team and game number two for another team.”
