Transfer Centre

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger: 'I would scrap January transfer window'

By Darren Plant, Senior Reporter | 27 December 2017

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger says that he would scrap the January transfer window in favour of players committing to clubs for an entire season.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has revealed that he is not a fan of the January transfer window and would like to see it scrapped.

Next month, clubs will be able to sign new players for the remaining games of the season and spending is likely to be at an all-time high due to the funds available to managers in the Premier League.

However, Wenger has suggested that he would rather see players commit to a club for an entire season, rather than be open to offers at the start of a calendar year.

The Frenchman told Arsenal Player: "I would scrap the transfer window in January, completely cut it off.

"The players today are very well paid, they make a lot of money. What you want in return is commitment to the club for the whole season. I think that's absolutely vital. I think you should not be able to move once the season has started until the end of the season.

"Nobody knows [how it would affect pre-season if the window closed then]. I believe people would adapt and make their decisions earlier. What happens now is that you're contacted 48 hours before the end of the transfer market and people ask if you're still interested in a player you worked on for three months. They close the door and open it suddenly with two days to go.

"It's all rushed decisions and hectic in the last week. I believe that is not right."

Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez, Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud have all been linked with an exit from the Emirates Stadium in January.