Bit Drafty!

So apparently the transfer window shut on Monday. No bang, no crash, barely even a whimper- quite frankly if Robbie “everywhere I go is my favourite club” Keane hadn’t headed north to his favourite club, Celtic, then the window wouldn’t even had made any headlines.

Obviously Manchester City were chasing more headlines, with late transfers seeming to be their favourite way to do it- maybe second behind Garry Cook’s outbursts of moron like behaviour. Having captured the signing of Patrick Vieira earlier in the window the Citizens returned to Italy for another central midfielder. This time they wanted Ronald McDonald from Parma, what? That’s not his name? Ok so it must have been Old McDonald they wanted? No? Unfortunately McDonald Mariga couldn’t get his work permit and ended up at Jose’s Inter. Of course it wasn’t unfortunate he didn’t sign because of his talent but more because of his headline writing name.

Once that target had disappeared City decided to try and grab the headlines with a transfer more of note for the player rather than his name. Enter Adam Johnson, a reported £7 million acquisition from Middlesbrough. Johnson is a highly rated English left winger who, should City not do a Chelsea, one day be a successful part of an England side- yes an exciting left winger!

Looking for excitement beyond City and perhaps Robbie’s 2nd temporary transfer in the last 18 months there wasn’t much to write home about. Portsmouth’s numerous outgoings and few loan incomings and the story of where Victor Moses might end up kept us with something else to concentrate on but the rest was all drab.

Of course Sky Sports News and BBC’s live text tried to keep us occupied but the very fact that the former didn’t have their usual man on 4 phones even in the office suggested the last day of the window would be one we’d be happy to see the end of. God knows the last few weeks have been full of coaches, managers, players and even agents moaning about how the window needs to go. But are they right?

The window was created to make it fairer to the lesser clubs, basically the Uniteds of the world couldn’t buy your player in November just because he was in great form and they were due to play you. To me though it doesn’t seem to make too much difference, the player will just be sold in the summer anyway. And surely the window helps more players leave on a free when their contract runs out. Currently if a player doesn’t want to leave in January or the club don’t get a good enough offer then he just sits around to leave on a free in July. Without a window there would be longer to get a deal done or if a player is being stubborn you can just freeze him out for a few more games till he gets fed up and accepts to leave in March- you may get less for him but it’s more than nothing.

Steve Bruce today flagged up what is perhaps the most agreeable argument; it is only a matter of time until a player takes action against the transfer window as a restraint of trade- basically stopping a player working. He took Benjani as an example, had his loan move from City to Sunderland (yawn) not gone through then it “restricts his career, it restricts his movement”. As we know these laws are the kind of thing that stops a cap on the amount of foreign players allowed and the now infamous Bosman ruling.

It is clearly time to get rid of this window. By now it’s only real function is to give us some drama twice a year. It is failing to do that now!

Time to change that window for some open patio doors. Otherwise it might be time for the Benjani ruling.