The 10-day period ahead of the CWC will only benefit big clubs as they look to capitalize by rebuilding early
Well, Liverpool fans may yet get what they want after all. Trent Alexander-Arnold announced earlier this month that he is leaving the club at the end of the season. All of the rumors suggest he will sign for Real Madrid on a bumper free agent deal that will see him spend his best years in the Spanish capital.
This is standard practice in football: good player leaves very good club to join Los Blancos. It's just what the evil empire does.
It prompted vitriol amongst local supporters. How could Alexander-Arnold do this? Does he not know that he must consider each and every normal human being before making a decision based entirely on his development as an athlete? WHAT ABOUT US?
The boos followed, as did the general sentiment that Alexander-Arnold should have at least guaranteed that the club will make a few bucks from him leaving. Jamie Carragher went on TV and suggested that a cool $20 million should heal some of the open wounds.
That sentiment sounded absurd at the time, but Carragher might get his wish. A preliminary transfer window, open from June 1-June 10 ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup, will allow participating teams to register players that might otherwise arrive in July. In effect, they can get their summer business done early under the guise of bolstering their squads for the tournament.
Liverpool could stand to benefit – they hold the cards here and could ask for a bit of cash to let their star right back go before he really .
But the broader picture is markedly less fair. Instead, the window allows clubs that should otherwise go into the tournament with an authentic reflection of their squads to retool and build. It stifles the integrity of competition, and further highlights how this expanded version of the Club World Cup – marketed extensively as it is, and to be hosted in the U.S. – has been hastily thrown together.
Getty ImagesWhat's this all about?
It was immediately pretty complicated. FIFA announced in October 2024 that participating clubs would be allowed to register players before the Club World Cup, in what they deemed "an exceptional registration window from 1 to 10 June 2025 prior to the start of the competition.”
They assumed that the short period would be used as a means by which clubs could extend existing contracts, until at least the end of the tournament, with the objective of encouraging "clubs and players whose contracts are expiring to find an appropriate solution to facilitate the players’ participation.”
That, as an idea, made sense. There were a fair few players at the time whose deals stood to expire at the end of the season – though Alexander-Arnold, arguably the best right back in the sport, was chief among them.
But FIFA failed to take other factors into consideration. The first is that star players do not simply let their contracts run down until the end of June. They will likely have either signed a new contract before the end of the campaign – as was the case for Liverpool's Virgil Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah – or agreed to personal terms on a deal to move somewhere else.
No one, from the biggest stars to the guys at the end of the bench, are still waiting for news on a new deal at the end of June. Kevin De Bruyne himself admitted that there was no point in playing – even if he did stay at City throughout the month of June.
"I have to take care of myself because if I get injured in the Club World Cup, what am I going to do? Nobody’s going to take care of me at that point,” De Bruyne told reporters. “So there’s a big chance probably I won’t play it.”
The second is that clubs are constantly looking for loopholes in the transfer market. Such is the nature of modern soccer. Transfer business is usually wrapped up prior to the window opening (it's just a case of sorting the paperwork.) Any opportunity for a team to gain advantage will be seized upon.
And the third, more broadly, is that domestic leagues did not have to comply with their assertion. FIFA windows are well established but exist entirely at the discretion of national football associations – that's why different transfer windows close at different times.
There was no guarantee that every European club, in particular, would comply. That they did is ultimately a good thing, but it was still a calculated risk that might have backfired.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportThose who benefit
And so we arrive at those who will make the best use of this. Chief among them is Madrid, and their well-chronicled Alexander-Arnold obsession. It is unclear when the right back will leave Liverpool. But the chatter is getting louder about him potentially exiting the club prior to the opening of the June 1 preliminary window. That would give Madrid – who currently do not have a fit first team right back – an elite player immediately.
But it's not just the Liverpool man. This will be a summer of immense chance in the Spanish capital. Long time manager Carlo Ancelotti is set to leave for Brazil, while club legend and former Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso will step in. Normally, he would have to wait a month, study the squad from afar, and spend time away before working with his players.
Now, he gets to take over immediately, well before any other incoming manager would, and shape the team to his liking. The same goes for center-back, where they stand to sign Dean Huijsen, a Spanish international, to cover another glaring hole. Nico Paz, a standout in Serie A, might also return to the club after being sent out on loan – despite his contract officially expiring on June 30.
Other teams, too, might take advantage. There is talk of Man City tying up the signing of Tijjani Reijnders, widely regarded among the best midfielders in Serie A, before the competition starts. Chelsea could bring any number of their so-called loan army in, with Djordje Petrovic – a talented goalkeeper who could replace the ailing Robert Sanchez long term – set to put on his gloves in the United States this summer.
Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone, too, admitted that his side could strengthen before the start of the competition.
"We’ll talk to see what options are available to us, and once we know, we’ll make a decision," he told reporters.
Only Palmerias wonderkid Estevao, who will stay at the Brazilian club through the tournament before sealing his move to Chelsea, has resisted the pull of a European transfer.
Getty'The best teams in the world'
This all brings about uncomfortable questions of the idea of the Club World Cup being a meeting of "the best teams in the world." Of course, form exists – slumps and periods of overperformance are possible. But those who have struggled simply should not be able to redeem poor seasons.
A look at the European contestants in the Club World Cup sums it all up. PSG might yet win the Champions League after completing their obligatory stroll to the Ligue 1 title. Inter are also in the final. But Bayern Munich underperformed in Europe's premier competition, and won the Bundesliga with 82 points – eight points fewer than Bayer Leverkusen required to claim the title last season.
Outside of that, there are some pretty underwhelming performers. Chelsea are on the periphery of failing to qualify for the Champions League, and will need to beat a tough Nottingham Forest team to guarantee a spot on Sunday. Real Madrid did the unthinkable and went trophyless this campaign – and lost all four Clasicos in the process.
Atletico Madrid were in the title race, but swiftly bowed out in the new year, and currently lie 12 points off the top with one game remaining. Juventus changed their manager in the spring, and stand on the very edge of European qualification. Borussia Dortmund endured their worst campaign in years, and have gone through three managers. Neither Benfica nor Porto won the Portuguese league.
In short, the majority of teams here struggled throughout their domestic campaigns, failed in Europe, and should not be allowed to benefit from an extra 10-day window in an effort to inaccurately display their underwhelming nine months of work.
GettyIs this good for MLS?
There are some who perhaps stand to benefit in a good way, though. European clubs can spend vast transfer fees and huge money on wages to bring in pretty much whoever they want. Madrid splashed more than $55M on Huijsen, and will make Alexander-Arnold the highest-paid right back in the world. Chelsea never have any problems coughing up – you get the idea.
Some, of course, are more restricted in their spending, and might use the window to fine tune their squads using far inferior budgets than their European counterparts. From the MLS perspective, this is generally a good thing. U.S. soccer reportedly ratified the separate window last week, giving Inter Miami, Seattle Sounders and possibly LAFC the chance to strengthen their squads.
Miami arguably need it the most. They have been linked with Angel Di Maria in recent weeks, but their need for another center-back is glaring. They have spare cash and could sort something in time. The Sounders are missing stalwart Jordan Morris and could use help in the No. 10 position – or even bring in a striker (they have an opening in a highly-coveted U22 spot, too).
LAFC, should they beat Club America in the May 31 play-in game to replace the expelled Club Leon, could do with any help, anywhere, at any price point.
The same goes for clubs throughout different federations. As much as this is a chance for the top European clubs to pinch players from other European sides, Brazilian teams could do the same. This might also benefit Liga MX teams that will hope to make a splash. Any extra registration window can always be used – or more accurately, be taken advantage of.