Change is the only constant in the universe.
No matter how you want some things to remain, change is inevitable, for good or worse.
And so we’re done with the philosophising and we can talk about the transfer window.
It’s been a strange one to say the least.
While, Premier League clubs spent the second biggest amount of money than in any other January window, it was still kind of quiet.
Liverpool signed exciting forward Luis Diaz to bolster their attack, but apart from that potentially brilliant piece of business, there were min incomings at the top clubs.
Prem leaders Manchester City made just one signing, in Argentina youngster Julian Alvarez, but he will stay at River Plate until the new term.
Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal brought in no one, while Tottenham drafted in midfielder Rodrigo Bentacur and winger Dejan Kulusevski in the push for a Champions League finish.
The strangest thing about the window though, was the number of players the big spenders cut loose.
United farmed out Donny van de Beek, Spurs sold Dele Alli and loaned out Bryan Gil, Giovani Lo Celso and record signing Tanguy Ndombele.
Arsenal were the wildste as they left themselves with just 18 senior outfield players and forced former skipper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang out of the club in a free transfer to Barcelona.
While the immediate question is whether these spanne will have the players to see them through the season after so many postponed matches due to Covid in the first half of campaign, you get the feeling that spending at the end of the season is going to be insane.
Personally, I’m paaping about the Gunners.
At least, they got rid of players that they weren’t playing and a genuine rebuild is on the horizon after lots of changes at the start of the season.
But change is risky. So let’s see what happens.
On the home front, Cape Town City were also besig in the recent window.
And the number of seasoned pros that left the club caused an outcry on social media.
After Fagrie Lakay and Abdul Ajagun looked set to leave the club a day before deadline day, following Abbubaker Mobara and Surprise Ralani out of Hartleyvale, mense were worried that chairman John Comitis was getting ready to close up shop and sell their PSL franchise.
But after a disappointing first half of the season, they are already looking to freshen up ahead of the campaign.
It wasn’t seven months ago when Ralani was sitting alongside coach Eric Tinkler and Comitis and talking up the club’s title challenge on the eve of his 100th appearance.
Die nommer het heltemaal gechange.
With three of their attacking options going out of the door, they have brought in Venezuelan Darwin Gonzalez and a Gambian teen – Kajally Drammeh – who was wanted by Belgian giants Anderlecht, Italians Torino and Danish innovators Midtjylland.
The signs are promising.
I guess we can’t mention City’s Venezuelan without talking about Stellenbosch’s Juan Carlos Ortiz.
If the South American can help Stellies rediscover the form from their opening 11 games, in which they went unbeaten in the league, they could be on an African adventure a year after just escaping relegation.
So change hulle.