Stoke City chairman Peter Coates has admitted his delight at the Premier League's decision to close the summer transfer window before the season starts.
A majority of the league's 20 clubs today approved a motion for the window to shut on the Thursday before the new season gets underway.
The move means that clubs will be prevented from modifying their squads after the season has begun, although they will still remain vulnerable to their players being bought by clubs in leagues where the window remains open.
"We thought it was better to have the transfers done before we start the season," Coates told talkSPORT today. "We think it's better for everybody. We all know where we are, we have done what we have to do, and I think it is better for football and better for world football.
"We are not still playing about with it two weeks after the start if the season."
Asked about the threat posed by clubs in La Liga and Serie A, where the window is likely to still remain open through August, Coates added: "I don't think they can pick anyone off because you can't pick anyone off if you don't want to sell. They can't make you do anything.
"I think it will force them to understand we finish at the start of our season so they will have to do things within that time frame if they want to do it. Nobody makes you sell a player so if they haven't done it by then, obviously, it will put pressure on them to make sure they do it by then.
"The fact is we have some examples this year of very high profile players, and very high profile clubs, that haven't sold their players and therefore you can make it work.
"We can easily send out a message to agents and players – look we have finished before we kick off. If we haven't done the deal by then we won't be doing a deal. So you've got an extra incentive to get it done if you want to get it done."
Following the Premier League's decision, the EFL has confirmed that it is also looking into ending its own transfer window at the same time.
Neil Wilkes
