Is the deadline a help or hindrance to British football?
In their typically understated manner, Sky Sports News claimed one of today’s transfer stories to be the ‘story of the decade’. Granted, a Bulgarian signing for a new Arabian club is a big deal, but the transfer deadline day rarely delivers the excitement it promises, and it can be detrimental to many clubs, particularly those in the lower leagues. Peterborough wideboy Barry Fry says:
“To me the inability to sell one of your assets is a restraint of trade. I think it is a disgrace.”
If a club is struggling to make ends meet, selling a player is an obvious method of raising capital: having to wait until January 1st to shift an asset could prove critical in such a situation.
Steve Coppell has also criticised the system, arguing that it breeds panic and encourages “scurrilous” transfer activity.
So, should FIFA take heed of the criticism, or keep the transfer window system that helped Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen find their current employers?
