Frank Christian
The Premier League is considering a new plan to close the summer transfer window before the start of the 2025/26 season.
During the 2024/25 season, the league faced criticism for keeping the transfer window open until August 30, while the new campaign began two weeks earlier.
Attempts to finalize the transfer window closing before the 2024/25 season commenced were unsuccessful due to disagreements among Europe’s top leagues.
According to the Daily Mirror, the Premier League has now collaborated with major European leagues through the European Club Association (ECA) to end the window on August 15, just one day before the season kicks off.
Chris Woerts, a former director at Sunderland, who is now prominent in the Dutch Eredivisie, confirmed that efforts are ongoing to finalize this change, which was previously hindered by Barcelona’s actions.
“Clubs are working towards having this decision made within the ECA. Next year, the transfer window should close on August 15, before league matches begin,” he stated.
“There is widespread frustration about players being transferred for several weeks while leagues have already commenced.”
“Barcelona created issues that prevented this from being implemented this year due to their financial constraints, which delayed their transfer plans, disrupting the consensus among the big leagues.”
A final decision on this proposal is anticipated by the end of 2024, with the mid-season transfer window dates already scheduled for 2024/25.
For the mid-season transfer market, the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, and Serie A will all open their windows on January 1 and will collectively close on February 3, aiming for improved coordination across leagues.
