Long-term view hard to find in transfer frenzy, but it does exist - and thrive

The real story of the transfer window is the clubs that do very little.

What is it about keeping your head when all about you are losing theirs? There is a calming, soothing nature to it all. Somewhere in the madness, thankfully, there seems a bit of tranquility.

But control isn't very sexy. It doesn't suit the narrative of people appearing on your TV screen and hysterically and uncontrollably revealing that Hull are set to sign a reserve goalkeeper from Cardiff.    

Certain clubs dominated the last few days and weeks, and one thing that stood out was the carte blanche made available to the elite Premier League coaches.

It reflects the aura surrounding Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho and Jurgen Klopp particularly. There's no second-guessing from a club's top brass. There are no questions. It's hard to know whether club administrators are intimidated or illuminated by the presence of such greatness.

One gets the impression that the boardrooms of Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool now operate in a similar way to the offices of Premier Properties, the real estate company at the centre of David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross.      

There's that magnificent moment when, in the film version, Alec Baldwin's character Blake arrives to deliver a withering, relentless monologue in which he skewers and humiliates the two-bit employees sitting before him.

"I'm here from downtown," he tells them. "I'm here on a mission of mercy."

At City, Guardiola has banished the club's long-term first-choice goalkeeper. In the process, he's given Joe Hart extremely short shrift. No sentiment, no opportunity to assimilate. Yaya Toure - integral to City in recent seasons - has been omitted from the club's Champions League squad and has no future in Manchester.         

At United, Mourinho has sidelined a recently-signed specialist right-back in Matteo Darmian, desperately wants to push Argentine defender Marcos Rojo out the door and despite his remarkable last few months and his recent game-winner, Marcus Rashford is likely to be used as an impact substitute. Bastian Schweinsteiger, who arrived last summer, has been frozen out. There are continued question marks over Juan Mata too - a record signing in January 2014.    

At Liverpool, Klopp has had little time for waiting around. He didn't rate Christian Benteke, who was only signed last summer, and got rid of him. Jordan Ibe was once touted as the next boy wonder at Anfield. Klopp didn't think so and sold him to Bournemouth. Joe Allen, a star at Euro 2016, was sent to Stoke and he finally managed to push Mario Balotelli out the door.

At each club, there's been quite a turnover since the new managers have been anointed. What does it say about the respective organizations' recruitment strategy under previous regimes?

Omar Chaudhuri is Head of Football Intelligence for 21st Club, a consultancy that has advised numerous Premier League teams.   

"Certain clubs have undergone significant changes in playing philosophy in the last 12 months, and so the managers are picking and choosing the right men to go forward," he says.

"The market for elite-end players is small, but it is also quite varied, hence I think managers have the flexibility to do this. It's not ideal from a club point of view, but sometimes that's the compromise you have to make when you hire managers with the reputation of Guardiola, Klopp, Mourinho.

"What's noticeable is that clubs with much more clearly-defined philosophies - irrespective of the manager - tend not to go through these changes. The best examples are Swansea and Southampton, who have rarely 'frozen out' players when a new manager comes in. This is because the recruitment team is either a) independent from the manager or b) has a clear directive of the type of player they should sign (or both, they're linked)."

It's hard not to look at the elite sides and wonder just where they're going and how the traditional structure of Premier League teams can continue.

Managers are naturally autocratic and in England, they are usually handed complete control. But as this window has proven, why would clubs sanction heavy spending on players that may only spend 12 months in a team - players who the next manager may push to one side while simultaneously demanding new signings to fit his approach and system?

Of course, maybe this is the impact of how important the short-term has become. Maybe this is the new normal and players will accumulate seven or eight clubs on average.

But spare a thought for the Southamptons and the Swanseas - consistently swimming against the tide.

A quote has always stuck with me. It's from January 2015, when Gary Neville described a conversation he had with Les Reed, Southampton's Executive Director of Football.

Reed is effectively a technical administrator, the long-term consistent and the man responsible for retaining the club's fine-tuned identity and philosophy. When managers and players come and go, he remains, ensuring everything stays true to the principles and practices that were so carefully developed and nurtured.

"Some clubs go for a personality or a track record and the manager says 'If I come to you, if you're lucky enough to have me, I want this, this and this.' We would never go down that route. We will not be interviewed by a manager - we will interview them."

It's a unique perspective. And, in these incredibly frenzied times, worthy of applause.