March 28 – The summer transfer window is one of the most crucial periods for clubs as they look to strengthen squads or jettison waste, however with the FIFA Club World Cup (CWC) running from June 14 to July 13 this summer, the room for deal-making has been complicated, leading the Premier League to step in open the window early.
Premier League clubs said on Thursday that they’ll have an early 10-day period in June ahead of the CWC before it officially reopens on June 16. This decision comes after FIFA decided that participating clubs would have the option of opening an “exceptional registration window” to sign players.
“The window will open early, between Sunday 1 June and Tuesday 10 June, due to an exceptional registration period relating to the FIFA Club World Cup,” the Premier League said in a statement.
“It will then reopen on Monday 16 June and close on Monday 1 September.”
As the richest, most powerful league in the world, FIFA had no option but to agree to the Premier League’s request as the two English participating clubs, Manchester City and Chelsea need to re-enforce their squads ahead of what will be a gruelling tournament should they advance towards the latter rounds.
The timing of the tournament will also impact their pre-season training calendar leading to more potential headaches for Pep Guardiola and Enzo Maresca at City and Chelsea respectively.
With the recently announced prize pot of $125 million to the winner of the CWC, it will be interesting to see if both clubs decide to gamble on major signings in the hope that they win the tournament.
To ensure that City and Chelsea do not gain a competitive advantage all Premier League teams will be able to wheel and deal in the early 10-day period.
Contact the writer of this story, Nick Webster, at moc.l1743535411labto1743535411ofdlr1743535411owedi1743535411sni@o1743535411fni1743535411