The Premier League transfer window will now close before the season begins

It was bound to happen eventually.

The Premier League transfer window will now close before the English top flight season starts. The summer transfer window previously shut at the end of August, at which point each Premier League club had played three games. Clubs have complained about the transfer window remaining open when the season had already started, as it disrupted preparations and meant many teams went into the new campaign without their squad finalised. On Thursday afternoon, Premier League clubs voted to close the window on the Thursday before the top flight season begins at 5pm. https://twitter.com/SkySportsNews/status/905787010409009153 The decision was not unanimous, and clubs will still be able to sell players until August 31, when the window closes for European teams. You can read the Premier League's statement on the decision here: [caption id="attachment_141059" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Via Bryan Swanson.[/caption] The decision has been greeted favourably. https://twitter.com/StanCollymore/status/905783307878707200 https://twitter.com/JPW_NBCSports/status/905787492523278338 https://twitter.com/DeanJonesBR/status/905786846625619968 https://twitter.com/COPA90/status/905786896357273600