6 Things that could happen as the transfer window closes
Transfers in football have evolved into an obsession. The prospect of landing one of the continent’s hottest talents tends to over-ride the excitement stimulated by a stunning goal or crunching tackle, but the transfer window encapsulates the ever-changing backdrop of football today quite perfectly.As the clock ticks down, pressure mounts on clubs to bring in fresh faces in order to better their forecasted fortunes, but the looming burdens of financial restraints and a strict deadline can take its toll on managers and players alike. Consequently, we see bizarre player behaviour and a scattergun of panic buys and it seems deadline day especially can turn the footballing world on its head.Treated to the weird, wonderful and quite astounding in the past, here’s a look at what we could see before the window concludes.
#1 Red Herrings
Eager to capitalise on this frenzied final few days, the media take centre stage in the transfer window and are not averse to tossing a few names into the mix to spice it all up a little. Most recently, Barcelona’s Neymar has been linked with a move to Van Gaal’s United – a farcical rumour and one which is just a case of flogging a dead horse to capture the attention of the Manchester faithful.
With the window being dominated by bizarre wheelings and dealings, it can be difficult to remain rational and keep your feet on the ground, especially if a mammoth name is being linked to your beloved club, but it’s important to distinguish between deals posing potential and the odd red herring.
Already this summer, we’ve seen Cristiano Ronaldo tipped for a move to Paris, Yaya Toure rumoured to be on his way to Inter Milan and Gareth Bale linked with a return to the Premier League, all of which embed minimal, if any, truth and were thrown together by social networking giants and deluded football pundits.
While you can be assured the mainstream media will remain sensible in their speculations, just be careful you’re not lead astray when you hear Zlatan Ibrahimovich is on his way to your esteemed Port Vale and brace yourself for many a deal to fall through as the window heats up.