EPL clubs agree to extend summer transfer window
Premier League clubs have voted to revert to an end-of-August deadline for the summer transfer window.
In a victory for the Big Six, all top-flight sides will be able to add players until the European cut-off point of September 1 this summer.
The 20 clubs met at a central London hotel this morning to thrash out the divisive issue.
Clubs voted to introduce an early window closure for the 2018-19 season.
That meant Prem sides could only register players for the new season up until the Thursday before the start of the campaign.
Despite a move led by Chelsea and Manchester United to go back to the previous system for this season, the clubs voted to stick with the earlier deadline for another year.
But Liverpool, Spurs and Arsenal, initially in favour of the early window deadline, changed sides after another summer of uncertainty.
Clubs noted that European rivals had up to 25 extra days to finish off their summer business, which meant more than three weeks of speculation.
Spurs fretted over schemer Christian Eriksen, while Paul Pogba’s Manchester United future was also an ongoing debate before the end of August.
As SunSport revealed, the Big Six voted as a bloc, initially to confirm that change was needed and then in favour of the change back to the previous system.
The other option, for an early deadline regarding deals between Premier League clubs and a later one for transfers to and from Europe and the EFL, was backed by some smaller Prem sides.
But the Big Six view held sway and the League announced the change.
In a statement, the Prem said: “At a Shareholders’ Meeting today, Premier League clubs voted to adopt a change to the Summer Transfer Window closing date for season 2020/21.
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“This will move the closing date back to the traditional point at the end of August/early September.
“The 2020 closing date will therefore be 17:00 BST on 1 September (31 August 2020 being a UK Bank Holiday).
“Clubs agreed after discussing the topic at length at previous Shareholders’ Meetings.”