RALPH Hasenhuttl has not changed his opinion on the eligibility of newly-signed players in rearranged matches, but added: “I don’t care, to be honest. This is not the question I use energy for.” The Saints boss had revealed that Premier League clubs were discussing whether players signed in the January transfer window should be able to play in games initially scheduled in 2021, at the start of 2022. His comments came as discussions were being held over a spate of controversially postponed matches, including the upcoming clash with Newcastle United at St Mary’s. Asked if his opinions changed since the emotionally-charged comments Hasenhuttl made two months ago, the Austrian responded
Ralph Hasenhutl said: “No. But it is how it is, what should I say? It’s not on me to discuss if it’s okay or not. It’s on somebody else for the future if this can be possible. I’m not affecting that massively in this way. Teams in a relegation battle have more to look at in the moment. We’re not in this zone. We have to play a team that is completely different now, but it’s okay. This is not the issue. There will always be transfer windows and every time when you play afterwards, a team can look different. I don’t care, to be honest. This is not the question I use energy for.”
At the time, Hasenhuttl’s comments and suggestions in the interest of fairness had support in the shape of other Premier League managers. West Ham’s David Moyes agreed with the Saints manager that players signed after the initial date of a rearranged meeting should not be eligible to play. However, Hasenhuttl accepts that this kind of legislation would have too many hurdles and variables to get through in the Premier League – including the fact teams have weakened their squads by selling players. He points out “you cannot say everybody should play this game for his old club”.
Ralph Hasenhuttl continued: “It’s not easy because also some clubs have lost players in that moment. Every time a game is cancelled or postponed, it’s not perfect for the league. We have still a situation where teams have played three games less than the others, so the table you’re looking at, forget it, because it doesn’t tell the truth. It’s never good. We have in England always the problem with the FA Cup. Automatically games are postponed when teams are still involved in the FA Cup. This is something unique in Europe I must say. So there you very often end up in the last two or three weeks playing suddenly a massive amount of games. Until that moment the table doesn’t tell you the truth. That’s why it doesn’t make much sense to look at it.”
