Leicester City's transfer window hit by World Cup timing – for bad and for good

In the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic and the hit to finances that has had on all but the very richest clubs, this transfer window was always likely to be a peculiar one. But there is another big factor at play: a winter World Cup.

Three months after the new campaign begins, all club matches will halt and players will head off with their nations to Qatar to compete for international football’s greatest prize. By breaking up the season, it is already having a significant effect on the club game, but that impact can be felt now too, in the transfer market.

It could create difficulties for clubs like Leicester City. Let’s say the recruitment team have their eye on a player at a European club who has been a regular starter this past season and is playing for their country. The lure of the Premier League is a strong one and that player may be interested in a move.

But the World Cup may create doubts in their mind. Every player is aware that, after a move to a new club, it can take time to settle into a rhythm and reach the heights that earned the transfer in the first place. That’s especially true if it’s a new league and a new country.

If the World Cup was next summer, a whole year away, players may fancy their chances of adapting to a new club in time to be in good form going into it. But with the Qatar edition beginning in November, players may worry that slow starts with new teams could see them fall out of contention.

Representing your country at a World Cup is the highest honour in football, and one that only comes around every four years. Most players will get maybe three or four opportunities to play at one, and that’s assuming they represent a country that always qualifies.

They don’t want to jeopardise one of