Premier League clubs were expected to open discussions on reverting the summer transfer window to its old, end of August standard, bringing it back into line with the rest of Europe, at league meetings during the September international break.
However, with it appearing that an increasing number of clubs are in favour of scrapping the early transfer window, there are now reports from The Times, BBC, and others suggesting the changes could be made official as soon as this month.
That’s because Liverpool, Tottenham, and Arsenal are all reportedly in favour of returning to a transfer window that runs through the end of August rather than closing the day before the start of the season. Everton are also said to be in favour.
Meanwhile, Manchester United, Manchester City, Watford, and Crystal Palace all voted against changing to an early window back in 2017 and would be expected to still prefer a transfer window lined up with the rest of the continent.
In fact, the only top six club who might be expected to go against a return to the former status quo are Chelsea, and it would appear that they are fighting against an increasingly inevitable—and understandable if perhaps unfortunate—reversion.
Back when clubs voted to shift the window earlier, the intent seemed clear and entirely sensible—to have squads across the league sorted and settled before the season started and so avoid any disruptions after a new campaign kicked off.
However, it was a change that counted on European clubs following suit, and despite some early signs that they might, in the end the other major UEFA leagues stuck with a transfer window that ran through to the end of August.
That has left many top English clubs feeling as though they are at a disadvantage, with teams on the continent still able to register new signings—including new signings from Premier League sides—after their window has closed.