Source: Daily_Mail
LEO'S LONDON: Premier League reduced to dress rehearsals thanks to transfer window chaos
Fans looking forward to the big Premier League kick-off could be forgiven for thinking that it is taking place on Saturday. But no matter how many points are won or goals scored, there is little that can stop the first few fixtures feeling like dress rehearsals.[LNB] After September 1, when new squad rules come into force, is when the season begins in earnest. Many clubs, still eyeing the transfer window until the day before that, will be engulfed by uncertainty if not in a state of flux until then. [LNB]Tottenham are at least three signings short of where manager Harry Redknapp wants them to be, and he will have to shift a few players to bring new ones in. [LNB] Reinforcements: Chelsea should soon tie up the signing of Brazil's Ramires (right)[LNB]Arsene Wenger would like to add a goalkeeper and centre back to the spine of his Arsenal team and has been scouring Europe. [LNB]Chelsea still have significant transfer business pending with Ramires, at the very least, set to join, while West Ham remain active and Mark Hughes has barely started at Fulham. [LNB]The state of the transfer market suggests it should still be the middle of summer. Having clubs still refining their options before finalising their 25-man squads only highlights how ridiculous that is. It makes the beginning of the season feel like the equivalent of a Grand Prix Saturday, when the jostling for pole position commences but the competition that counts is still to come.[LNB] [LNB] More from Leo Spall... Leo's London: More fool Fabio if Capello takes England gamble on kid Wilshere05/08/10 LEO'S LONDON: All-American hero Keane has to leave Tottenham28/07/10 Leo's London: Sol is hardly Arsenal's answer when Gallas could have stayed22/07/10 LEO'S LONDON: Tottenham will take Arsenal's glory away with attack threat14/07/10 LEO'S LONDON: Torres can kickstart Chelsea's new era under Ancelotti07/07/10 LEO'S LONDON: Roy Hodgson would do well to avoid fast-falling Liverpool and stay where he's loved at Fulham24/06/10 LEO'S LONDON: Cole needs a good manager to get the best out of him16/06/10 LEO'S LONDON: Tottenham must offer Redknapp a new long-term deal02/06/10 VIEW FULL ARCHIVE The whole idea of the transfer window was to bring stability to players and the market, to put the emphasis on coaching rather than financial muscle. Yet here we are, again, expecting the final few weeks - after the season has started - to be the most hectic trading period. [LNB]Premier League clubs alone bought or sold a total of 29 players after the start of last term. They agreed 16 loan deals in total too and many managers feel that figure will rise significantly this year. [LNB]Who will be playing for your team in September? Even some of the managers are not certain about their 25s yet. The fans should be careful about whose name they put on their shirts - and good luck with your initial fantasy league teams. [LNB]But the Premier League are not to blame. Their new squad rules (designed to promote youth development, by the way) have to follow the transfer window. Any other way is senseless, so the spotlight is trained on why the transfer window deadline is set more than a couple of weeks into the season. [LNB]That is the way it has always been, was the FA's lame answer. They coordinate the window dates with Europe's other big leagues and say the traditional cut-off at the end of August is appropriate because it allows maximum trading time. Why not scrap the window altogether then, if that is the idea? [LNB]FIFA, who brought in the transfer window, allow up to 12 weeks from theend of the season to the closing of the summer transfer window. It doesnot have to be that long and, with two other European leagues alsostarting on Saturday and another soon after, it makes sense for it tobe shorter.[LNB] Next in? Fellow Brazil star David Luiz is also wanted at Stamford Bridge[LNB]As things stand, it seems Italy and Spain, whose seasons begin at the end of the month, have it their way. That is the tail wagging the dog. Closing the window before their season starts would cause no harm, but England, Germany, France and Holland trade through the beginning of their campaigns to fit in with the schedules of Italy and Spain. [LNB]Managers and agents might complain, but it would be feasible for trading to finish sooner. That would just bring negotiations to a head earlier and allow the season to start in an orderly fashion - with the football the prime concern. [LNB] Despite the focus on David James at Bristol City last weekend nothing should obscure the significance of Millwall's start to life in the Championship - not even the goalkeeper's hairstyle. [LNB] Powerless: New Bristol City keeper David James couldn't stop Millwall[LNB]The comprehensive 3-0 win was their biggest on the road in 10 months. Millwall only managed that sort of margin on their travels once despite winning promotion last season and when their plan for the next level up is to make The Den a fortress and improve away from home, they could not ask for much more. [LNB]
