- 'Inappropriately Shortened': the duration of the transfer period is reduced
Wolfsburg manager Ralph Hasenführer advocates for an earlier conclusion to the transfer window in international elite soccer. From his perspective, player acquisitions should only be allowed before the onset of a new campaign.
He deems the deadline in late August as "completely inappropriate," as stated at his press conference before the Bundesliga encounter against Holstein Kiel (Saturday, 3:30 PM/Sky). "I reckon it wouldn't make a difference if we wrapped up the entire saga a month earlier. Then you'd have a few weeks to familiarize yourself with your team, and come the first matchday, you'd know: This is your roster." However, "it's bloody tough for all managers" in its current form.
Hasenführer boasts experience with Southampton in the English Premier League. He only sees a reduction in the transfer window period as viable "if all other leagues follow suit." He recounted, "We once had the situation in England where we ended earlier, but the others still had the transfer window active. That was a catastrophe since players kept departing from us one by one."
Hasenführer, having managed in Lower Saxony's Bundesliga and previously in England's Premier League with Southampton, strongly advocates for a unified reduction in the transfer window period across international elite leagues, including Lower Saxony. He believes that wrapping up player acquisitions a month earlier, like they did in England before, would provide managers with additional time to familiarize themselves with their squads.
