In what could be described as Turkey's voting for Christmas Premier League clubs have voted that the transfer window will shut before the premier League season starts.

From next season, the window will close at 17:00 BST on the Thursday before the Premier League season begins.

The decision was not unanimous and does not impact upon the length of the window in the Football League, or indeed any other League's.

This is a little short sighted is that it means that Premier League clubs cannot buy players after this date, but they can still sell them, some media sites are reporting that clubs can not sell players after the window shuts, but having read the premier league official statement, this is not the case and as is the case now, Premier League clubs can still sell players to other Leagues whose window shuts after ours.

This means that Premier League clubs in Europe are now at a distinct disadvantage in that they will have approximately 2-3 weeks less than their European counterparts to add to their squad in the summer, yet they can still be raided themselves till the European window closes.

It also has big ramifications for all clubs in the Premier league in that with European clubs wanting to try and hang on to players till the last minute of a window to try and get the best price, they may not be willing to sell in early August.

Indeed Saints would not have signed Wesley Hoedt under the new legislation.

That is unless the buying club is desperate as will all Premier League clubs come next August when faced with a window slamming shut before their competitors.

It cannot be denied that the transfer window needed looking at and the start of the season should be perhaps a natural cut off point, but the problem is that the leagues across Europe start on different dates and August 31st covered them all so was perhaps the most sensible date to shut a window.

So Turkeys have just voted for Christmas and i suspec those turkeys most of whom are not in Europe wont be too bothered as they are fed up with the so called big clubs unsettling their squads well into the season, they will say it serves the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham right for their behaviour not just in this window but in previous ones.

The sensible thing to do would have been to unify the start date of all the big European Leagues and then bring the window into line with them all instead of this absurd stand were we have cut off our noses to spite our faces.

Photo: Action Images

amsterdamsaint added 15:28 - Sep 7 Not a problem for Saints. Pelle to China is the only foreign transfer I can think of.
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BoondockSaint added 15:41 - Sep 7 Good news! Let's the manager get properly organized for the season. No last minute swoops by rich clubs to grab a player who has stood out in the first three games for a smaller team. Teams have to get a move on and get deals done earlier.(Although Les will still wait until the last moment.) Less time for "pundits" blab on and on, or try to unsettle players for their former teams.

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landerwal added 16:54 - Sep 7 Sorry I can't see a problem either. Clubs still have from early July to sell or buy players. Only the "big clubs" were against of course bqecause they have the top quality players to sell to Europe. As far as Hoedt's transfer is concerned, you can sure that Saints would have got their man
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SaintBrock added 17:17 - Sep 7 Well Nick, your turkey analogy is utter crap. This is the best thing that has happened all summer. It amazes me that they voted it through 'though but good on them. Makes everything brief and to the point and an end to those stupid stand-off transfer will he / won't he transfer sagas.
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AirFlorida added 19:04 - Sep 7 Just need to stop our managers being poached pre season now 😂
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halftimeorange added 20:19 - Sep 7 I'm frankly astonished that Sky have allowed this to happen. How on earth will they fill all those tv hours vacated by so-called sensational transfer news (more like mind-numbing) and gripping debates, hosted by an ineffectual chairperson trying to provoke two or more ex-players with little or no grip of the English language, into arguing whether a club has made the right signing or not. I might have to tune into a proper news channel.

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steve73 added 23:16 - Sep 7 Considering the vvd soap opera we've all just had to endure I'm surprised that anyone could see this as a bad thing. Having said that, Liverpool will still do what they do but they'll just do it a little earlier. At least all their underhanded shenanigans will be over before a ball's been kicked.
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bstokesaint added 00:10 - Sep 8 It is great news. Why should a team spend all summer training together and preparing for the season ahead only to get raided at the last minute by a Billy Big B******s with a hatful of cash, which can't be reinvested before the season begins, thereby completing disrupting a couple of months of good work. Next thing for the PL to vote on.. Making players honour a fixed term on a contract. Make contacts mean something other than a pay day. Surely it's not unreasonable to make a player signing a new 4 year deal to do at least 2 of those.

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