New rules will close the transfer window before the start of the 2018-19 Premier League season

The Premier League’s season has historically always started before the close of the transfer window, which seems a bit ridiculous on its face. That appears to be changing, with the Premier League clubs ready to approve a new set of rules that will close the window three weeks earlier than usual.

According to the Telegraph, Premier League clubs are warm to the proposal and are expected to vote to approve the change at a meeting next month. The change will mean that Premier League clubs will not be able to transfer players to another Premier League club once the season begins, though they will be able to sell players to other countries and leagues whose windows may close later.

This move makes a whole lot of sense, and for Tottenham Hotspur in particular. Daniel Levy is known for making moves very late in the window in order to get the best deal in both player purchases and sales. The side effect of that is that Spurs often play at least 2-3 matches each season without a fully-settled side, and protracted negotiations can take away from the beginning of each season.

That would end beginning with the 2018-19 season. The proposals won’t do anything to abate the chaos that is transfer window deadline day, but it will ensure that clubs will begin the new season without questions regarding incoming players, with the focus firmly on the football and not on the window.

This is a welcome change, unusual for the Premier League whose rules at times seem arcane and nonsensical. The Premier League’s move might even prompt other major European moves to make similar adjustments, if they haven’t already.