This Thursday evening will see the closure of the Football League loan transfer window, and with it we are highly likely to witness a number of panic signings, reminiscent to a Christmas Eve shopping dash.
Already we have seen a number of teams hurriedly add to their squad. Sheffield Wednesday added three players in as many days to take their overall loan tally to seven, whilst Doncaster Rovers continue to find a quick-fix to their problems by adding players almost everyday, with Habib Beye and Herold Goulon the latest duo to arrive in South Yorkshire. 
As the August and January windows show, there are always teams who take a gamble, and it is no different with regards to the loan window. Managers will doubtless be panicking by tomorrow lunchtime, pondering whether their squad will cope until the New Year without a new addition or two.
But you have to question how good it is for the game for so many teams to be relying on essentially other teams’ players. A few seasons ago Yeovil Town at one stage had eight borrowed players on their roster. Considering there is a maximum of five allowed in a matchday squad, it beggars belief to be so over-reliant on such a system.
The recycling of players is now so commonplace that surely a scrapping of this particular window would solve the problem of so many rash signings. By allowing loans at anytime throughout the season, fewer clubs would make panic acquisitions allowing more time to get the right player in.
Of course loans can be highly helpful and beneficial to some teams, especially in the instance of an emergency signing such as a replacement goalkeeper. But it has to be said the majority of loan transfers are purely to plug a gap in a side when it may be more beneficial to blood an academy youngster, giving them invaluable experience.
Whatever business occurs tomorrow evening, you can be rest assured that the majority will have not been thought-through nor done with the club’s long-term interests at heart.
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