Transfer window and the way it works

We all have heard of transfer windows.But many fail to understand what it is and how it works. Here’s an illustration of what a transfer window is and how it works.

Transfer window is the criteria through which players are sold and bought. There are two transfer windows in a single season. The first one is for a period of 12 weeks (3 months) which is held in between seasons i.e., after the closure of a season and before the commencement of a fresh season. It usually ends at the end of August.

The second window takes place mid-season i.e., in January.

Now here’s how a transfer window works. It involves three transactions:

1. The two teams involved must agree upon a deal i.e., the amount of money the selling team demands for a player and if the buying team is ready to shell out the same amount. Both the teams must come to a mutual agreement. Say for example, Real Madrid places a deal of £86 million on the table for Gareth Bale to Tottenham Hotspur. The price iss agreed upon and the deal is completed making Bale the most expensive player on the planet.

2. The team must negotiate a contract with their newly signed player. It can range from any number of years. For example, when Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Real Madrid from Manchester United for a then world record fee of £80 million in July 2009, he negotiated a deal for six years with a pay of $18 million a year.

3. A third transaction occurs when a player leaving a club wishes to get his hands on the money the interested club is willing to play for him. He would have to agree upon a deal with his club on that. Samuel Eto’o, a former Barcelona player rumoured to be leaving for Manchester City wanted half the money the English club would pay for him.

Players are sometimes loaned to lower clubs from the same league or different leagues as they fail to make their cut into the starting eleven due to inexperience. They are usually loaned so that they get the experience they are looking for. For example, Romelu Lukakau, a Chelsea youngster failed to make the cut because Chelsea squad was already swarming with talents. So he was loaned to Everton.