Brighton boss Hughton expects majority of summer transfers to be completed late in the window

Albion boss Chris Hughton still expects the majority of transfers to go through late in the summer transfer window, despite it shutting earlier than usual.
Chris Hughton. Picture by Phil Westlake (PW Sporting Photography)Chris Hughton. Picture by Phil Westlake (PW Sporting Photography)
Chris Hughton. Picture by Phil Westlake (PW Sporting Photography)

The transfer window shuts on August 9 this year, two days before the start of the 2018/19 Premier League season.

Hughton is in favour of the early closure and feels the last couple of weeks will still be the busiest time, although added a number of transfers are likely to be completed earlier as well.

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Brighton signed Pascal Gross early last summer but Jose Izquierdo, Ezequiel Schelotto and Tim Krul all joined after the start of the 2017/18 season.

On the early closure of the transfer window, Hughton said: "If you speak to most managers, I certainly would have been one who would have voted for it to be before the start of the season.

"For us it's by far the best thing. You know what your squad is and you're able to get to work from that first day.

"I applaud it. Agents might say a little bit different and clubs might even say a little bit different but for us managers it's ideal."

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The transfer window re-opened yesterday and on the transfer window shutting before the start of the season, Hughton said: "It affects things and my gut feeling is they'll be a percentage of transfers because of that which get done earlier.

"But transfer negotiations can be very difficult and on the percentages there generally aren't too many that are straight deals organised very quickly.

"There are so many different connotations.

"But there will still be the normal and what we've always experienced in that last couple of weeks. I still think the majority of transfers will be done in that last week or the last couple of weeks."