A well-respected agent with decades of experience suggested to The Athletic that the summer transfer window should be significantly shorter.

The deal-maker was answering questions for last year’s Agent Survey, and his hot take on how to improve the transfer system was to close trading before the season started. By doing so, it would avoid the awkward situation faced by Newcastle United, Brentford and Aston Villa in the opening weeks of 2025-26, when Alexander Isak, Yoane Wissa and Emiliano Martinez were either refusing to play or unavailable for selection because of the noise around their future.

A date change would also give players the chance to enjoy a full season at a new club, rather than enduring the strange opening two or three games of a campaign where many are left wondering what happens next.

Had it been introduced this season, then perhaps Ollie Watkins would still be seen in the same light by Aston Villa supporters as Ezri Konsa, and Unai Emery would have a striker to call on. Julian Alvarez may not have faced boos from Atletico Madrid supporters, either. Consider, too, the debate around Cody Gakpo.

The situation at Liverpool is clear. Liverpool would not want to sell Gakpo to Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, or any other club unless two attackers are signed in the next six days. With Bradley Barcola — Liverpool held key talks about him on Tuesday — and Yankuba Minteh on Liverpool’s radar, it still cannot be ruled out, but it’s going to take a serious swing to, first of all, get off the ground and then start to make sense.

Gakpo has had a good pre-season (Darren Staples/AFP via Getty Images)

Without new arrivals, there’s no way Liverpool could even consider weakening their forward line further by parting ways with Gakpo, who has silenced some of his doubters since returning from the World Cup and scored in the 2-2 draw with Newcastle United on Sunday.

Imagine going into the game on Saturday against Nottingham Forest without him. Yet how many Liverpool supporters would have been on board with the Dutchman leaving before a ball had been kicked?

Not that anyone is seriously suggesting this, but let’s say the deadline was moved even further back to before pre-season. There wouldn’t have been too many disappointed fans at that stage, either, given Gakpo’s failings last campaign.

As Liverpool’s season fizzled out towards the closing months of 2025-26, the misfiring forward was identified as the most disposable this summer. A few areas in his game drew particular criticism. Gakpo attempts the same move too often — the step inside to open up his body and shoot, often unsuccessfully, at goal — and in the process occasionally misses the left-back with an overlapping run. It felt like his form had dipped to a point where it could not be revived, and his exit would have made a lot of sense until the football started.

Now, though, he cannot be sold, because unless there’s a flurry of incoming activity, he’s too important to the make-up of this squad, especially without the injured Hugo Ekitike. There’s an argument that, even with the arrival of two new attackers, Gakpo is still important because of the versatility he provides. As Sir Alex Ferguson always made clear during his time at Manchester United, there was never a concern about having too many players who can score goals in the squad, and Gakpo has 33 goals in 128 Premier League games, which is not a bad return for a left-winger.

If his impressive form over the summer is still not enough to highlight his value, then potentially strengthening a rival is, of course, another factor. Although neither interested Premier League club has made formal contact with Liverpool, there’s still time for things to change and with multiple deals being discussed in the closing days, there are still so many ifs, buts and maybes.

It has been a wild summer — Manchester City have lost their Ballon d’Or-winning midfielder Rodri, Chelsea have signed two players born in 1990, Tottenham Hotspur are still spending heavily and Villa are painfully watching their most successful side for over 30 years slowly disintegrate.

Closing the window before the season starts wouldn’t solve everything, but it could have helped Barcola and his PSG team-mate Ibrahim Mbaye, another player of interest to Liverpool, who surely would have featured for their club by now.

Barcola has trained but not played for PSG this season (Lou Benoist/AFP via Getty Images)

Instead, both have missed the UEFA Super Cup final, the Trophee des Champions, and the Ligue 1 opener amid their uncertain futures. They may both move and make up for lost time, but it’s all a bit messy. As is the late dash for recruits at Liverpool, at least until there’s some clarity over what happens next.

Liverpool have known since March that Mohamed Salah was leaving and still there’s no right-sided replacement. On the opening day of the season, two left-sided wingers filled that role: first Rio Ngumoha and then Victor Munoz, both of whom have obvious qualities, but their talents are more evident on the opposite side.

Barcola also favours the left, but Minteh could solve the right-side shortage if a fee can be agreed. The potential of having so many left-sided options would admittedly make it easier to allow Gakpo to leave, but not at this stage. Not when he’s the biggest goal threat and not when other big-money signings have taken way longer than anticipated to settle in.

Liverpool need some stability up front, and despite last season’s troubles, it might just be Gakpo who provides that.

Callum Wilson scored just six minutes into his full debut and captain Nathan Collins converted two headers as Brentford routed Championship side Birmingham 6-1.

The 34-year-old Wilson, who joined on a free transfer from relegated West Ham, seized his first opportunity with a crisp finish which took a deflection off defender Dael Fry, who had a debut to forget.

Brentford’s Premier League quality was evident throughout and although Blues equalised through Demarai Gray just before the half-hour they were level for just seven minutes.

Lax defending saw Aaron Hickey and Collins score in quick succession to effectively seal the tie before half-time, with Mikkel Damsgaard getting on the end of a counter-attack to add the fourth.

Igor Thiago’s smart close-range finish sent fans streaming for the exit, missing Collins’ second header.

The Bees, quarter-finalists last season, had not beaten Birmingham in six previous meetings, the last a goalless draw more than five years ago in the Championship before they went on to bigger and better things which their ambitious hosts now hope to emulate.

Birmingham’s priority remains promotion so, after opening with two league draws, boss Chris Davies made six changes, including goalkeeper Ryan Allsop, Fry and Argentinian striker Luis Vazquez.

However, the gulf to a Premier League squad was evident as Keith Andrews retained only three of the team which demolished Tottenham and saw three of his newcomers score and another, Yehor Yarmoliuk, run the midfield before he was forced off with injury.

Davies wants to meet the club’s aspirations by playing their way out of the Championship but it proved their undoing before they had even had chance to get a foothold in the game as they fell foul of Brentford’s high press at a short goal-kick.

Paik Seung-ho was slow to react to the loose ball and Yarmoliuk played in Wilson to fire home first-time from the edge of the area with the aid of a deflection.

But a miscontrol by Jannik Schuster saw the centre-back booked for bringing down Vazquez and from Paik’s short free-kick Gray drilled a deflected shot through a crowd of players.

It was a brief moment of joy in an otherwise chastening night as a failure to deal with Vitaly Janelt’s chip and Wilson’s strength allowed Hickey to fire home an angled shot.

Collins jumped in front of Fry to nod in a simple header from Jaidon Anthony’s cross but a ruthless Brentford went for the kill and, after bringing on the likes of Igor Thiago, Kevin Schade and Mamadou Sangare, scored three more after the break.

The managers…

Birmingham’s Chris Davies:

“My message to supporters tonight is ‘sorry’. It’s not very pleasant and I can understand how frustrating it is for them.

“It was a very tough evening for us, a painful evening, and incredibly disappointing to lose a game 6-1 at home.

“There were many situations where we were just not good enough to compete and I take ultimate responsibility for it – and the players will have to do it in their own minds.

“We were beaten by a team a long way ahead of us in every aspect. Was 6-1 a fair reflection? Probably.”

Brentford’s Keith Andrews:

“I didn’t really blink an eyelid making so many changes.

“There is a huge narrative around cup games with coaches making changes but with the squad we have, there are fine margins between who plays and doesn’t play.

“We needed to compete really hard to play the game we wanted. I thought overall we produced a really good performance.”

Leeds United registered a second win at Nottingham Forest in three days as they booked their spot in the Carabao Cup third round.

Daniel Farke’s side took the three Premier League points home on Saturday and earned a 2-0 victory in the League Cup thanks to goals from Dan James and James Justin.

Having not won at the City Ground since 1972 before the weekend, they have now triumphed there twice in 72 hours as the Yorkshire club enjoy a winning start to the new campaign.

It is not the start new Forest boss Oliver Glasner was looking for as things are yet to click, though additions are on the way with a £50m deal agreed for Chelsea striker Liam Delap.

Neither side will have been jumping for joy at the prospect of a rematch so soon after Saturday’s Premier League opener.

But Forest enjoyed some early promise as James Trafford was forced into a great save in the 10th minute when he had to fend away Ola Aina’s cross-shot, which almost left him wrongfooted.

Then Justin was in the right place at the right time to stop Igor Jesus’ header from going in.

Leeds came into it and should have gone in front midway through the first half when James got in down the right, but his pull-back was just behind Sean Longstaff, who shot straight at Matz Sels.

Both sides were going for it and Leeds defender Joe Rodon denied Chris Wood with a brilliant last-ditch tackle while Sels kept out James’ low effort at the other end.

The Wales international showed the required composure five minutes after the restart.

Aina’s wayward header allowed Longstaff to gallop forward and he played in James, who clipped home.

Forest almost hit straight back as Arnaud Kalimuendo’s cutback was perfect for Wood, but Trafford did brilliantly to stop his effort from going into the bottom corner, before Noah Okafor sent an effort just wide as Leeds staged a rapid counter-attack.

Leeds sealed the victory with 15 minutes remaining but there was nothing pretty about it.

Lucas Nmecha tried to claim it as his bundled effort was blocked on the line by Williams, with Justin finally putting the ball into the back of the net.

The managers…

Nottingham Forest boss Oliver Glasner told Sky Sports

“This is a little bit the assessment after six weeks here, that maybe – and not just in the team, it’s maybe in the club – that there’s a little bit of ignoring the reality.

“Right now, we are far away from where we want to be, and what I’m really convinced in that where we will be.

“The fact is that this team had a relegation battle for nine months. Very turbulent season and it ended with a huge effort to stay in the league, and this is our starting point.

“It’s really very important not to blame anybody because sometimes I tell them facts and they say, ‘Oh, Glasner is complaining’.

“No, no, no. But then maybe your best midfielder [Elliot Anderson] leaves the club and now we expect we compete for European places because Oliver Glasner is in. Sorry, this is what I can’t deliver within six weeks.

“I’m no magician, no messiah, just hard work. That is what we have to do.

“It doesn’t make sense talking about seventh two years ago. It’s hard, it’s tough, but if you ignore the reality then you live in dreamland and this is never the best thing to do.”

Leeds boss Daniel Farke told Sky Sports:

“This is what we came for, and this was my main goal.

“You play a cup run to go through. Very happy with the level of the performance, because we had to wait very long for a win here at Nottingham and to do this two times within three days at such a tough ground, this remarkable level of performance was outstanding.

“Saturday was really a tight game, but today I think it’s not in doubt that it was a fully deserved win.”