Premier League executive chairman Richard Scudamore admits the new transfer deadline is still a bone of contention among clubs and will be reviewed in September.
The English summer transfer window closes on Thursday, over three weeks sooner than usual, leaving top flight clubs rushing to complete transfer deals before the Premier League season starts on Saturday.
Scudamore, speaking after the Premier League’s annual north-west managers’ meeting in Manchester, told Sky Sports he had received mixed feedback.
“We actually decided this last September,” Scudamore said. “As with all these things, it’s only when it comes upon people – but again it wasn’t a unanimous decision to do it, so there’s bound to be some dissent still around.
“But it was done for the reasons the clubs wanted to do it, for the purposes of not having a situation where clubs are threatened with players leaving to go to other Premier League clubs.
Scudamore is set to stand down from his position at the end of the year.
“That, they thought, transcended all the other challenges. It is going to be challenging, particularly for the promoted clubs, who effectively have two-and-a-half weeks less.
“But the decision has been made and we’ll analyse it in September when it’s all over.”
It depended on which clubs you asked whether the new deadline was working or not, said Scudamore, who agreed some were upset about it.
“Yes, but that’s the democracy we run,” he added. “It wasn’t a unanimous decision at the time. In some clubs the managers don’t like it and the executives do, it’s mixed.
“I speak to clubs who say: ‘This is fantastic, we knew what the deadline was and we’ve worked to that.’
“But there are other clubs who say they haven’t got time and wish we hadn’t decided to do it.
“Funnily enough, it falls down the line of those who voted for it and those who voted against it.”
Scudamore, who will stand down at the end of the year after nearly 20 years in the role, said he was confident the Premier League would be ready to adopt the video assistant referee system (VAR) in time for the 2019/2020 season.
“We will be doing far more testing this year and we will be ready to go,” he added. “Hopefully it will give the clubs, I think, a much easier decision to say ‘yes’ for next season.
“I’m as confident as I can be. Mike Riley (Premier League referees’ chief) and his team have worked extremely hard doing everything they need to and we will be ready to go next season.”
