FootBiz newsletter #102: World Cup cost crisis and the slamming window

People complain about the terminology every time deadline day comes around but the transfer window truly did slam shut on Marc Guehi last night, having already completed a medical for a move to Liverpool the Crystal Palace captain saw the plug pulled on his move to Anfield after the FA Cup winners failed to secure an adequate replacement.

Liverpool did manage to get Alexander Isak, though, taking their summer spend to unprecedented levels for a team that just won the league. It is as if Fenway Sports Group smell blood in the water, with Manchester City facing 130 charges and Pep Guardiola’s future still unclear, Arsenal seemingly incapable of getting over the hump and renewed confidence in the processes atop Liverpool since the return of Michael Edwards.

Otherwise the story of the transfer window is the same as it always seems to be now: English clubs spent eye-watering amounts, anyone who sold to an English club has financially sustained themselves for a while and the rest are just dealing in low-cost moves.

Though there is an outlier in the shape of Major League Soccer.

MLS teams didn’t just break their total record spend, they smashed it. This year’s outlay was around $340m, nearly doubling last year’s total of $180m as three different teams took it in turns to make the most expensive purchase in MLS history.

Additionally, eight MLS teams broke their own franchise transfer record.

It is difficult not to see this stemming from a January rule change which allowed teams to use “an unlimited amount of out-of-pocket funds (cash) to trade for players, allowing MLS clubs to acquire talent from within the league without having to use General Allocation Money (GAM) or other assets (such as SuperDraft selections or International Roster Spots).”

It facilitated a significant increase in intra-league transfers with a record amount of money changing hands between MLS teams. Given the league’s struggle for domestic or international relevance, a relaxing and/or modernisation of the rules to fall more in line with the global football market (and away from nonsense like ‘Generation Adidas players’ or Targeted Allocation Money) has been something that both fans and critics of the league have been demanding for a while.

With commissioner Don Garber also admitting the league is considering a switch to the European calendar, it appears to be a time of much-needed change in Major League Soccer. We’ll have more on that in the coming weeks, but first there’s a lot of news to get to…

Table of Contents

• Black Knight to add Croatian champs

• World Cup hosts face cost crunch

• Plans to limit league games abroad

• BeIn and Ligue 1 heading to court

• UEFA’s Israel headache

• M&A Murmurs

• The conveyor belt of sadness