Expert Blogs

I hate the transfer window. 

Made compulsory by FIFA in 2002, the transfer window restricts the movement of players to two times per year: one longer period in the off-season, and one four-week period during the season.

Unlike in North American sports, where athletes are traded for one or more players deemed to be of equivalent value, soccer players are "bought" and "sold". The rights to the player's registration are transferred from the selling club to the buying club, and it is then incumbent on the buying club to negotiate a satisfactory contract with the player before the transfer is finalized. 

Players bought and sold

In my opinion, there are no winners in this situation. 

Clubs hold each other to ransom during the transfer windows, knowing full well that there is a finite amount of time in which to strike a deal. The closer a selling club gets to the end of the transfer window, the more expensive their player becomes. If the buying club is in desperate need of the player, they generally pay far more than the player is actually worth. 

The transfer window also restricts the career opportunities for the players. 

If a player is frozen out at his club, he must wait until the transfer window opens in order to secure a permanent move elsewhere. He has the option of going out on loan to another club, but that is not an ideal situation for a player - especially one with a family - and often gets rejected. 

I would much rather see a system similar to what used to be in place in soccer: freedom of movement throughout the season, up until a cut-off point towards the end of the season, when championships and trophies get decided. 

However, FIFA is unlikely to revert back to the old system, and clubs and players will continue to have to deal with the restrictions placed on them by the transfer window. 

2010 an important year

With 2010 being a World Cup year, the January transfer window becomes very important, especially for the players. 

There are literally hundreds of players around the world who are playing for a spot on their country's World Cup squad. Very few players can say with absolute certainty that they will be going to the World Cup in the summer, so national team coaches will closely scrutinize the club performances of their players between now and then. 

Only by playing well for their clubs can fringe players secure a ticket to South Africa. For players who are currently not playing for their clubs because they have fallen out of favour with their coach, the January transfer window provides a limited opportunity to secure employment elsewhere - somewhere for them to get regular first-team action in order to impress. 

A number of high-profile players have already decided that their best chance of earning a place at the World Cup is by trying their luck with a different club. 

Luca Toni, the Italian striker who is currently employed by Bayern Munich in the German Bundesliga, recently secured a loan move to Roma in Italy. Despite his assertions to the contrary, it is clear that Toni's primary motivation for the move is to convince Italian coach Marcello Lippi that he is still worthy of selection to the national team. 

French midfielder Patrick Vieira is another high profile player who is on the move. 

Vieira on the move

Vieira has played sparingly for Italian side Inter Milan this season, resulting in his omission from the French team for their critical playoff series victory over Ireland in November. He is seeking to move away from Milan, with Manchester City in the English Premier League his likely destination. 

It isn't just the high profile players, however, who are seeking to take advantage of the opening provided by the transfer window. 

American star Freddy Adu, once heralded as the next Pele, has failed to live up to the lofty expectations placed on his shoulders. The 20-year-old has bounced from club to club and has been nothing but a disappointment for the U.S. national team. 

Seeing very little playing time at Benfica in Portugal, Adu has chosen to move to Aris Salonika in Greece in the hopes of impressing U.S. coach Bob Bradley in the run up to the World Cup. 

Time is ticking for other players though, as the transfer window is set to close at the beginning of February in Europe. Depending on the countries involved, players could still move on loan after that time. But with less and less time to get established and impress, it is not an ideal situation - especially if you're looking to earn a spot at the World Cup.