Comparing the English Premier League Transfer System to the Trading System of the US

All major sports leagues in the US use a trading and free agency system to determine where players ultimately end up. In the English Premier League, teams buy and sell players. Here are the pros and pitfalls to each system.

English Premier League

Pros

- Players can pretty much pick where they go. It's pretty common in the EPL for players to submit what are called "transfer requests".

-Rich teams can have who they want. If a top end team such as Chelsea decides that they need a top end keeper they can buy who they want at mid-season.

Cons

- Players can pretty much pick where they go, they can force their ways off teams. If a player on a lower level team is unhappy he just hands in a transfer request. This causes unsettled locker rooms.

-Players can leave the weaker teams when they want to go play for the big clubs. They could keep them of course, but they they would just have unhappy superstars. This is a big problem, and it makes it so there is a power balance. Teams like West Ham and Bolton will never win the EPL unless some rich owner comes along and buys superstars, like Manchester City.

Up Next: American Sports Pros and Cons

By Arjun Parikh