Is the Importance of the Transfer Window Overstated?

An in-depth look at transfers, transfer policies and why clubs invest in player improvement over player recruitment.

Chelsea’s signing of Fernando Torres (left) and Kléberson’s (right) move to Manchester United in 2003 are among the most high profile unsuccessful big money moves. Graphic by Archie Willis.

Steve Hoyles

Steve Hoyles is a freelance copywriter. Steve has written for the BBC, The Guardian and Metro.

March 23, 2025
1:21 am
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We’ve got Sky Sports News to blame. Ever since the 24-hour news cycle was introduced to sport, we’ve sensationalised football transfers.

Reporters standing outside training grounds, waiting for something, anything, to happen has made the transfer business an industry. Journalists such as David Ornstein and Fabrizio Romano have built entire careers out of it.

Football fans and pundits talk about who ‘won’ the transfer window. talkSPORT goes bananas as fans call in, decrying a lack of signings, or celebrating their club’s latest additions.

The thing is, data shows that buying new players often doesn’t mean much. Clubs regularly go backwards despite spending a lot of money on transfers. Likewise, keeping a good squad together and allowing them to develop has proven to be a great tactic for many clubs.

At the time of writing, Liverpool sit top of the Premier League, having spent a measly £10mn in the summer. Now of course they were starting from a stronger base, but it appears that rivals such as Manchester United, Arsenal, Aston Villa and Chelsea out-spending them hasn’t (at this point at least) made much of a difference.

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Is the Importance of the Transfer Window Overstated?

Steve Hoyles