Transfer window must be scrapped, says Bernstein

Manchester City chairman David Bernstein insists the transfer window should be scrapped even though his club are set to take a new year plunge.

But his comments have been opposed by Alex Ferguson and the players' union, who believe the introduction of the controversial regulation has been a good thing for the game, even if Manchester United's celebrated manager cannot see many clubs being enticed into the market.

Under new transfer regulations agreed between world governing body FIFA and the European Commission last year, Premier League clubs are only allowed to sign players during the close season and a specially designated window between January 1-31.

Although some major European nations such as Italy have always had a transfer window, by bringing everyone under the same umbrella, the Commission was hoping to bring much-needed contract stability to the game and also end the spiralling transfer fees officials believed were anti-competitive.

However, Bernstein is among many critics who believe the new regulation to be unfair and effectively a restraint of trade.

"The transfer window is a bad thing for football and in my opinion should be scrapped altogether," he said.

"I come from a retail background and we never had restrictions placed on us over when we could buy or sell goods. I can't see why football should be any different. It can handicap certain clubs, especially if they have a run of injuries and it just seems to be another example of people meddling with things unnecessarily.

Nevertheless, City will be among the buyers when the month-long market opens on New Year's Day.

Having backed manager Kevin Keegan to ensure survival on City's return to the Premier League, Bernstein is believed to have made a further € 11m available in an effort to push forward in the chase for a European berth.

Their neighbours from Old Trafford are also likely to be in the hunt for new recruits, although Ferguson has previously suggested finding someone who meets United's quality threshold and is not banned from European competition could be impossible.

But, even though the Scot has seen his own squad decimated by a series of injuries to his major stars, Ferguson has welcomed the inception of a window, although he is not sure there is enough money in the market to trigger more than a handful of purchases.

He asked: "Where is the money going to come from? If there was no money three months ago where are clubs going to get it from now?

"Either everybody should have a transfer window or nobody should because you need to have a level playing field and I believe we should give it a try.

The collapse of major television contracts throughout the continent appears to have put a break on the free-spending ways of the past, although the large contracts clubs have committed themselves to will continue to present major problems in the years ahead.

So concerned was the Football League at the advent of the transfer window they threatened court action unless their member clubs were given exemptions.

A slight adjustment has been incorporated into the structures, although PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor who believes the new system has been a positive move overall thinks more could still be done.

"I would like each country to be given slightly more flexibility to adjust the rules to suit their own conditions but I never believed the situation was going to be as bad as the Football League suggested," he said.