Is the early closure of the transfer window a stroke of genius or a mistake?

#4 Some big clubs will be denied adequate preparation

Clubs won't have adequate preparation

This is a World Cup year and with it comes a few challenges. Tottenham Hotspur had the highest number of players in the last four of the World Cup. Many of those have just returned and haven't prepared enough. Mauricio Pochettino would have loved to take a closer look at his World Cup stars to find out what condition there are in before deciding where to strengthen, as some might return carrying injuries they sustained during the World Cup.

Unfortunately, the transfer window hasn't afforded him such time as it closes in a two days, and the most dreadful thing is that Spurs haven't signed a single player, with just a couple of days to go!

The same can be said of Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea, who came in late to take over from Antonio Conte with the distraction of the World Cup. This has seen his most important stars return very late. Ngolo Kante, Eden Hazard, Thibault Courtois haven't played a single preseason game, while some are still being linked with moves away from the club.

Given that he is new in the job, he needed to meet his players, assess them, know them before deciding who to buy and who to let go of. He won't have that due to the decision to close the window earlier than the rest of Europe.

Whereas the decision to close the window on August 9th has its advantages, its negativity could have a far-reaching impact that its architects could have imagined. The status quo ought to have been maintained and any changes should have cut across, affecting all leagues.