Transfer deadline day: All about super-agents, sensational swoops and raids

#3 Raids

The Premier League begins on August 10!

#3 Raids

Transfer window deadline day is also about going back to the past and getting involved in warfare. On deadline day, clubs who need players try to ‘raid’ the clubs who have the players they need. A raid usually implies a rapid surprise attack on the enemy. The word is also sometimes used to describe sudden operations carried out by law-enforcement bodies to arrest individuals or capture illicit goods.

Imagine the CEO of a club dressed in full armour with sword and shield in hand arriving at the gates of a rival club and asking them to release the player of their choice. The use of the word ‘raid’ conveys something very exciting or sensational. The reality is probably much more mundane. A bunch of executives sitting in a conference room and sending emails or faxes with numbers detailing how much they are willing to pay for the player.

Deadline day with all its quirks and unique phraseology seems to be more about vivid poetry than grounded reality. In this author’s opinion, the sad part is that with every season, it becomes more and more predictable. But the great part about the 2018-19 season: The Premier League begins the very next day! Let the real show begin!