The potential Premier League transfer deadline day rule changes that could impact Sunderland and EFL rivals
Premier League executives have banded together to launch a proposal that would see next year's summer transfer window close before the start of the new season, potentially affecting Sunderland and their EFL rivals in the process.
According to a report from the Mirror , top flight chiefs, in conjunction with the rest of the European Club Association, which represents clubs from England, Spain, Germany, Italy, and France, have approved a plan that would bring deadline day forward to the middle of August. This year, the deadline passed on August 30th, a full fortnight after the Premier League campaign kicked off.
Sign up to our Sunderland AFC newsletterSign upSorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later.Submitting...As a consequence, should the new measures be rubber-stamped, clubs from the EFL would not be able to trade players with their Premier League peers beyond August 15th, and there is a hope from the top flight that pressure can be exerted on the rest of Europe to follow suit and accept an earlier, uniform deadline day.
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A prior proposal to introduce a uniform deadline this summer collapsed when La Liga withdrew their support after coming under pressure from Barcelona, with the Catalan giants seeking more time to raise funds for new signings.
Addressing the prospect of next year's possible rule change, former Sunderland director Chris Woerts, who has become a prominent figure in the Dutch Eredivisie since leaving the Stadium of Light , revealed that the idea is gathering growing support.
He said: "The clubs are working hard to get the decision made on this within the entire ECA. Next year the transfer window must close on August 15, before the leagues kick off. Everyone is getting frustrated and annoyed by the fact that players are still being sold for weeks while the competitions have started.
"One major club in Spain caused a problem so it couldn't happen this year. That was FC Barcelona. Because of all their financial problems they were not able to make moves on the transfer market until a very late stage. So they broke the pact of the 'Big Five'."
