How does a late transfer deadline help top-flight clubs?

Clubs in England will be able to buy players until September 1 in the next transfer window following a vote on Thursday.

Manchester United's Harry Maguire

Premier League clubs have voted to push England's summer transfer window deadline back to September 1 for the 2020-21 season.

In 2017, clubs decided to support the closing of the transfer window the day before the Premier League season began, with many managers previously suggesting the uncertainty that accompanied a later deadline was not beneficial.

This measure was brought in ahead of the 2018-19 season and remained in place at the start of 2019-20, but decriers felt it left Premier League clubs at a major disadvantage to European teams, with the other major UEFA nations not bringing their deadline forward.

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At a Premier League shareholders' meeting on Thursday, clubs voted in favour of pushing the deadline back again, thereby reducing the risk of teams losing players to European sides and being unable to sign a replacement.

Liverpool boss, Jurgen Klopp, led the call for change, highlighting the disadvantage Premier League clubs would find themselves in when compared to other clubs, especially in Europe.

"I don't care when it closes, I only think it must close at the same time," Klopp said in August 2019.

Under the system last year, Premier League clubs could not recruit from August 9, but could still lose players to their European rivals until September 2. The late deadline, that the League now goes back to, means that the transfer window will be active after the start of the League and will cancel out any undue advantage to European clubs vis-a-vis the clubs in the EPL.

The Times explains that this window is all the more crucial for clubs in England keeping Brexit in mind. This will be the lasy window where there will be freedom of movement for European Union players, including players who are 16 or 17 years old.

Back in September 2019, when early closure managed to collectively make the top flight teams unhappy, discussions began to consider pushing back to the old late-August deadline. According to the BBC , previously 14 clubs needed to be in favour of making changes to the transfer window but now a simple majority of 11 was the ask. Manchester United, Manchester City, Watford and Crystal Palace voted against the early closure.

The new deadline for England's summer transfer window will be 17:00 BST on September 1, 2020, because August 31 is a UK bank holiday.

The Premier League also confirmed the 2020-21 season shall begin on Saturday, August 8.

(With inputs from Reuters and Opta)