Matt Maher: Don’t rush to judge clubs’ transfer window success
When the transfer window closes tonight it will be followed, immediately and inevitably, by the hot-takes.
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How well did (insert club name here) do? Who were the summer’s winners and losers?
Such pieces are always premature. It takes months, if not years to determine whether a window has been a success or failure.
Just how different, for instance, does Villa’s January business now look thanks to the rapid ascent of Morgan Rogers?
What we can say for certain, even before this window closes, is no club on this patch has found the summer easy.
At both Albion and Villa, we have witnessed impressive displays of virtual plate spinning by those in charge of transfer strategy. By tonight, we may be able to say the same about Wolves, depending on whether Gary O’Neil gets the players he wants prior to the deadline.
Things look a bit more settled for their rivals. Barring a late shock, Albion’s business concluded with the £3million signing of Mikey Johnston from Celtic, a slightly surprising (in the nicest possible way) finish to a window in which the club has once again been operating with one eye firmly on the bottom line.
Shilen Patel’s takeover means we no longer have to fret about the very future of the Baggies themselves. It has also meant, for the first time in two years and in Carlos Corberan’s reign, they have paid fees for players.
