Jurgen Klopp is never shy in expressing his vehement distaste for numerous aspects of modern football's calendar.
Whether it's Saturday lunchtime kick-offs or England's festive fixture list, the Liverpool manager is quick to voice his criticism. The latest scheduling conflict to irk Klopp has been the closing date of the Saudi Pro League's summer transfer window.
"I think pretty much the worst thing is that the transfer window in Saudi Arabia is three weeks longer open," Klopp argued ahead of the new Premier League season. "That's not helpful. So there must be, UEFA, FIFA must find solutions for that."
Klopp knows the power that the Pro League wields better than most after watching two of his starting midfielders Jordan Henderson and Fabinho move to the Middle East this summer.
Here's exactly when the Saudi Pro League transfer window closes and how it compares to its European counterparts.
When did the Saudi Pro League transfer window open?
Much like most European divisions and northern hemisphere leagues in general, the Saudi Pro League transfer window began on 1 July.
Before the window had even officially opened, Saudi clubs had begun to reshape the transfer market with the earth-shattering arrival of Karim Benzema at top-flight champions Al Ittihad. While Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Al Nassr last December was ground-breaking, the acquisition of the reigning Ballon d'Or winner was a statement move. There is still plenty of time for many more.
When does the Saudi Pro League transfer window close?
The Saudi Arabian sports ministry has put aside around $800m (£628m) for transfers to the top flight this summer, per the New York Times. The newly expanded 18-team league has until 20 September to splurge this hulking mass of capital.
According to the detailed report in the New York Times, Saudi clubs were each provided with numerous transfer recommendations at the start of the window alongside a set of ground rules to prevent inter-league competition for players.
During the seismic off-season, Saudi clubs have spent around £350m to recruit the likes of Benzema, former Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez and Sadio Mane from Bayern Munich. No team among Europe's supposed elite has proven capable of matching the financial might from the Middle East.
The Saudi Pro League's chief operating officer Carlo Nohra explained to Reuters: "We had to improve quality and in order to improve quality, you have to bring in the best. Spending was always going to be an essential component for us to do this."
READ MORE ON THE PLAYERS LINKED TO SAUDI ARABIA & THE MONEY ON OFFER
When does the Premier League transfer window close?
Klopp's outburst was underpinned by the disparity between the closing dates of the transfer windows in England and Saudi Arabia. While the Pro League can continue to tempt players away with lucrative deals until the fourth week of September, the Premier League's transfer window slams (it never closes quietly) shut on 1 September at 23:00 BST.
When both windows are open, Premier League clubs can at least source replacements for the individuals that chased gold to the Gulf. Yet, there are 19 long days for Saudi sides to pilfer England's helpless top flight.
According to FIFA's Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, transfer windows are determined by each association. World football's governing body stipulates that there must be two registration periods (summer and winter windows) and the first "shall begin on the first day of the season. This period may not exceed 12 weeks."
The 2023/24 season begins on 1 July 2023 for most leagues which run from autumn to spring. Therefore, the latest that the summer window could close would be on 23 September 2023. The Saudi Pro League have simply stretched the window to its limits while the Premier League plays by the same rules as the rest of Europe.
When does the transfer window in other European leagues close?
This year, all of the major European leagues will also close at varying times on 1 September.
The Premier League voted to close their summer window in 2018 and 2019 when the season's fixtures began during August, theoretically providing every manager with a settled squad for each match in the first half of the campaign. However, the rest of Europe didn't follow suit, giving those on the continent ample opportunity to poach Premier League stars without any chance of retaliation.
After two years, Premier League clubs voted to get back "in sync" with the rest of Europe. Now, the continent's elite teams are out of step with the Saudi Pro League - which has already spent more on transfers than La Liga.
Whether this will lead to an extension of future summer windows remains to be seen. But there will be no solution for a grumpy Klopp this year.
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This article was originally published on 90min as When does the Saudi Pro League transfer window close?.
