The transfer window is an interesting thing. It was brought in so squads could be settled and not lose players at random points throughout the season. The thing was that if you did lose players at random points in the season, you could also replace them whenever you liked. So, while this was spun at the time, to be a benefit to smaller clubs, what in fact happens is that the bigger clubs wait until the last 5 minutes of the transfer window (in order to not have the additional salary on the wage bill for as long as possible) and then sign your players, so you have no time to replace them. Also, because there is a time limit on getting the deals done, it artificially pushes the prices up as the added factor of time pressure increases desperation as everyone wants everything now and they don’t want to wait 6 months.
In previous years we have always lost players who we didn’t necessarily want to go but we haven’t really got anyone left who would be wanted by a bigger club, the possible exception of Adam Lallana. If Pompey came in for Paul Wotton then I’m sure we’d reluctantly sell though we’d have to be careful not the push the price up over Dr Fahim’s limit of five hundred quid. So, with bated breath, we arrived at the last day of the transfer window and as Saints are the Man City of League 1, I was hoping for some more players arriving and some deadwood leaving. We need a striker, a winger and a centre back… it’s going to be an F5 day.
10am, F5 – rumour of Junior Agogo signing (obvious wind up I think as he’s had more clubs than Peter Stringfellow)
12noon, F5, Saganowski to Sven County rumour – an obvious move to League 2 to protect his international career which is being damaged by playing in League 1
2pm, F5, fourth choice goalkeeper Michael Poke goes on holiday to Torquay again on loan for 6 months
4pm, F5, fantastic and hilarious rumour of Patrick Kluivert signing as a player/coach. More Dutch experiments, I think not…
5pm, F(ux sake)5 – sound of window closing.
No arrivals, Saganowski has not left to join the Sven revolution, Lancashire has not been signed up by a Donkey Sanctuary, Schneiderlin is left to take his chances with his international career and most remarkable of all – Patrick Kluivert has not signed. All is not lost however…
Just because the rules say you can only sign players during the transfer window, that isn’t actually the case. I guess that the restriction was put in place and then the authorities that be, realised that it was actually unworkable so there had to be some compromise. Once such compromise is the Emergency Loan window. The name suggests that somewhere, the term ‘Emergency’ is defined and policed but as far as I can see, you can loan anyone at any time, be it a genuine emergency (you have no goalkeeper for example) or that you just fancy getting in another centre back to complement the four you already have. I have a massive problem with the loan system especially when players are loaned between clubs in the same division. How on earth does that sit with maintaining the integrity of the competition. This also applies in cup competitions – if your parent club is in the same competition (The FA Cup for example) then to my mind, you shouldn’t be allowed to play for the club you’ve been loaned to.
Of course, my team, the mighty Saints are now in League 1 and so I’ll compromise my beliefs and take anyone we can get. As it stands, we haven’t taken advantage of the Emergency Loan system but we have taken advantage of another loophole which is that you can sign players at any time if they are out of contract. So, welcome to Radhi Jaidi – an absolute brick outhouse of a centre back who has 100 caps for Tunisia and last year, played 30 odd times for Birmingham as they got promoted to the Premier League.
Also, a day after the window closed, it was announced that we’d signed a striker, the fantastically named Papa Waigo N’Diaye. We were allowed this one as the initial negotiations had started before the window closed.
So, there are many ways to dodge the window including those mentioned so far and also, signing a player on loan and completing the permanent deal when the window opens again. This is why I believe that Michel Platini’s idealistic notion of ensuring that all clubs are debt free is doomed to failure as they will find ways round it… but more on finances in football another time perhaps…
As for SFC, now go concentrate on the Kluivert deal…
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