The transfer window change was announced by PA (via the Daily Mail), and it is believed to have been taken to the table by Chelsea and greeted with almost universal approval from those in attendance. It is similar to what happened in October, but it moves the window back slightly, from 16 June to 7 September, rather than 9 June to 31 August.
Premier League clubs have backed a plan to extend the English transfer deadline by a week to allow for more time for moves between top-tier clubs and the EFL.
It comes after a Premier League meeting on Thursday, where a variety of proposals were tabled, including altering the dates for the final three rounds of fixtures this season to allow as many people as possible to watch games.
Plans would need to be approved by clubs and the FA, so it could be a while before any formal announcement is made, but there is not expected to be much resistance.
In terms of new dates for this season, another hot subject was adjusting the dates of the final three rounds of Premier League games in order to increase the number of fixtures that come beyond the 17 May deadline set by the government for the return of supporters.
The changed window would be in line with the rest of Europe, but would allow for the kind of deals that brought Jack But land to Crystal Palace on October 16, ten days after the UEFA-imposed window had closed.
As things stand, the final three rounds of matches are scheduled for Wednesday, May 12, Saturday, May 15, and Sunday, May 23, with only the latter allowing fans in attendance under the government’s best-case plan for their way out of lockout.
However, it has been proposed that the timetable be significantly shortened. Match week 37, which was scheduled for May 15, should be shifted to midweek (Tuesday, May 18/Wednesday, May 19) to enable each team in the league to play a home game with fans in attendance.
Match week 36 will then be shifted to Saturday, May 15th.
However, there is some resistance to this, with Newcastle in particular said to be worried about the scheduling problems this might cause ahead of a critical season finale.
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