Shep: It’s time for transfer window rethink
Emmanuel Adebayor, Joey Barton, Alessandro Matri are amongst what has been a very long list of targets on the Hammers’ radar. There could well be a name no one has heard about who suddenly pops up.
One thing is for certain, West Ham need at least one new forward and probably another midfielder.
But will they be able to do the deals in time ? And are they getting the right players ?
In this day and age transfers are for more complicated than they used to be given the involvement of a myriad of agents who often play clubs off against each other to up the ante.
Loan deals, which on the face of it, might seem simpler can often be more complex when it comes to who takes on what portion of the players salary.
There can be no doubt over the past few weeks those responsible for signing a new player the owners, the manager and the recruitment team will have been working hard at securing the new players needed to bolster the squad.
But it ain’t easy .
Often selling clubs like to leave things to the wire the bolster the price. It can be in the interest of the player too so he can get a better deal especially if a club is becoming “desperate”.
Conversely sometimes a selling club will leave it late so they might be able to strike a better deal.
Increasingly the summer and January transfer windows have become a Soap Opera with Reality TV thrown in .On Tuesday Sky Sports will roll out the “jewel in the crown” of their football news coverage in a style not a million miles away from Eastenders or X Factor.
Gloating presenters and reporters, with a variety of gadgets, will try and con the viewer all day they have the inside track on all the last minutes deals when actually they are relying on press releases from clubs, the wire services and internet activity.
Who knows they may even persuade Harry Redknapp to spend the day offering his opinions on the days deals through the window of his Land Rover ?
It’s got to the point where the whole idea of two transfer windows should be reconsidered.
And the more I think about it the more I think the windows should be scrapped.
When it first came in in 2002 it seemed a sensible idea to keep a lid on what was becoming a carousel for most of the season especially when the transfer market became global. The concern was too many agents were constantly trying to cut deal.
But now the transfer window has become a problem in itself.
In many cases the windows have been a major cause of transfer inflation.
Because there is deadline at the start of September time and again we see clubs pay over the odds for a player as the deadline approaches.
Consider the ridiculous reported £54 million Manchester City are about to pay for Wolfsburg for Kevin de Bruyne a player who not so long ago was considered a Premier League flop when he was sold by Chelsea for a “mere” £18 million.
And look at how the “value” of Everton’s John Stones has spiralled to beyond £30 million.
Another thing. Some clubs might have done all their business shrewdly then two weeks after the window has shut they lose two or three key players and suddenly the dynamic of the season changes.
By the time the January window comes around it might just be too late to sign the player needed to stave off relegation or push up the table and or promotion.
It would seem to me it would be better if , say after a September deadline ,a club is still allowed to buy or loan up to the three players until there is a cut off, as there used to be ,at the end of March. And a player can’t be transferred more than once in a season.
It would take the heat out of what has become an increasingly crazy market and also help those clubs who are left high and dry by a sudden injury crisis.
Plus we could get to see ol Harry giving his views on transfers from the comfort of his driver’s seat on a more regular basis. It might even become a weekly show.