Should I stay or should I go?

Three matches into the season and, perhaps more crucially, the end of the transfer window, means that we now have a clearer picture.

Despite the Premier League clubs flexing their financial muscles by spending a record £1.4bn in July and August with around 200 players arriving at new clubs, a whopping £210m was spent on the final day. Two months to shape their squads and yet some chairmen leave it until the last minute to get their work done!

Perhaps they thought that they could pick up a bargain or two, yet most invariably ended up panic buying.

This window, however, will long be remembered as the one in which players did not move, either because their clubs refused to let them leave and, shock, horror, force them to honour a contract many only signed 12-months before. Others simply changed their mind while a few players rejected clubs making advances to them.

This latter category I find refreshing as, perhaps naively, I would like to think that this demonstrates that it is not always about the money.

At least, now that the window has closed, players such as Coutinho (injured for Liverpool but able to score a spectacular goal for his country) and Southampton’s Van Dijk, can try to rehabilitate themselves with the fans and teammates.

Much will depend on the attitude of the player himself and the levels of motivation that they can generate to perform. Tevez and Suarez both performed remarkable turnarounds having failed to land dream moves.

Klopp will welcome Coutinho back into the fold ASAP while Van Dijk will have to perform to his optimum to participate for his country in the European Championships next summer.

While Sanchez always gives the impression of being a consummate professional and workhorse, Arsenal appear to have left themselves a little short and, so, surrounding mounting pressure on the Arsenal hierarchy to dismiss coach Wenger, it remains to be seen whether both he and Ozil (another apparently want away player) can perform to their optimum.

Given the likelihood of losing players in the summer on a free transfer and the desire shown by both players to depart, it appears strange that Arsenal seemed so desperate to hang on to them, despite their squad requiring replenishment in several areas.

This window also witnessed some of the more bizarre occurrences ever seen.  Mahrez was granted leave from the Algerian national training camp to secure his move away from Leicester City although it appears that nothing ever materialised.

Ironically, both Liverpool and Arsenal statistically score more goals and concede fewer without these star players, although with a 13 per cent better win ratio with Van Dijk in their side it is easy to see why Southampton were so determined to keep their defensive rock.

And ‘The Ox’ turned down Chelsea having discussions about his intended role before securing a move to Liverpool while Barkley simply changed his mind about making the same move, against the wishes of his current club, Everton.

Another forward expected to arrive at Chelsea was Llorente, although he still made it to London, albeit across the city with Tottenham Hotspur. Replacing him at Swansea City was one of the more intriguing signings of the window. Touted as a potential signature for many of Europe’s elite clubs, Renato Sanches made his was on a season-long loan move from Bayern Munich.

Of course, this has again raised questions as to whether the transfer window should exist at all. Invariably, in this day and age, any system in place has been shaped by the abuse of a previous one. The fact that it is being questioned again also suggests that we have forgotten. It is perhaps, therefore, worth reminding ourselves why it was introduced.

First mooted by English clubs in the 1990s, it was not introduced until 2002.  The original intent had been to protect the integrity of the league until the end of the season, preventing clubs challenging for prizes from acquiring additional players on short-term contracts from those for which there was nothing left to play for. 

Alternatively, clubs were known to release players to teams playing against their main rivals in an attempt to prevent them from gaining easy points.

Furthermore, at a time where agents were gaining increasing control, it was felt that managers would benefit from periods of stability and plan accordingly.

However, one of the main reasons for the introduction of the window was to prevent football from falling into accepting similar rules to most other industries where employees would, on open contracts, simply be able to hand in their notice and move at will. 

The football authorities across Europe felt that this would fatally undermine the game’s economy and remove the incentive for clubs to invest in developing players.

Despite the disquiet amongst many clubs and managers, the transfer window looks as though it is here to stay, at least for a few more years.

Both Manchester clubs did the majority of their work early in order to allow players time to settle. There was a joke doing the rounds that City spend more on defence annually than some countries!  However, their investments look sound, particularly for Silva and Mendy. I expect them to challenge for the title.

United also bought well with Lukaku and Matic already giving Mourinho’s side a better balance and structure that allows other players to perform. They have been rewarded with a perfect record in the league to date.

Of all the squads, Everton’s has had the greatest overhaul, although both Brighton and Huddersfield have added 11 new players. At least the Toffees recouped much of their outlay through the sale of Lukaku, although, bizarrely, this was the one position they did not fill with a star signing, unless you count the arresting Rooney.

Liverpool have one of the most dynamic attacking units in the Premier league, if not Europe, although will be tested defensively. It will be interesting to see whether their squad can maintain a challenge domestically once the competition in Europe is under way.

Champions Chelsea, despite missing out on a number of players, still added quality early with Morata and Bakayoko while adding Drinkwater on deadline day. However, there is a sense that with Costa AWOL – possible law suit pending – and Matic bizarrely sold to one of their main rivals, they are not as strong comparatively as last season.

Bizarrely, given the global attention it demands, I believe that the transfer window adds value to the Premier League. It can be frustrating but there is no doubt that it touches the lives of billions around the world who remain glued to social media.

There can be no better indication of this than the fact that in the UK Thames Valley Police got in on the act, warning drivers that if they were caught checking their phones in their car then they would end up with more points than Arsenal!