Confusion reigns as England international caught in 'crazy' transfer saga at start of new season

The England players had an incredible summer coming close to winning the Euro 2024 trophy. However, for one former Three Lions international, the transfer window has brought even more excitement and madness.

For Andros Townsend, simply knowing which club he is signed to has become an issue. The 33-year-old, who made 13 appearances for England between 2013 and 2016 and scored three goals, signed a short-term deal with Luton in October 2023 when they were in the Premier League.

After impressing manager Rob Edwards with his performances, Townsend put pen to paper on a longer contract in January 2024. He remained with the club as they were relegated to the Championship, taking part in pre-season over July and August.

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 When Turkish Super Lig side Antalyaspor came calling, Townsend was open to a new opportunity, signing with them after appearing for just a minutes at the end of Luton's 4-1 defeat to Burnley in their opening game of the Championship season.

A transfer ban has meant that Townsend can't officially be registered for Antalyaspor, however, while the club can't even announce his signing, too. 

"I'm stuck in Antalyaspor just training, I don't know who owns me, I don't know where my contract is," Townsend told BBC 5 Live's Monday Night club.

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In fact, Antalyaspor's transfer ban runs until January 2026, meaning if the dispute isn't settled, Townsend's career could remain in limbo for another 18 months. 

"I’ve had a crazy couple of weeks. Three days before the start of the season at Luton, I get a phone call from Antalyaspor, saying ‘we have an offer for you but you’ve got 24 hours to respond because we’ve got a transfer ban coming and we need to get you in before the transfer ban’.

“So, no time to think about it. I managed to negotiate to be involved in the first game for Luton, played ten minutes in that and then it was literally all signed, all done. We missed the deadline by a couple of hours. The contract is signed [but] they can't officially register me, they can't announce me because they have a transfer ban.

Townsend continued, adding that he simply doesn't have a clue what is happening or where he stands. 

"Every time I ask them, they say 'the contract is signed, you're our player'. But nothing has been announced," he added." There were so many red flags, you wouldn't believe it. But something was telling me this is the right move for me, to go and experience something new in Antalya which is a beautiful city right near the beach. Something was telling me to make it happen.

"I made the decision, I thought, to move out here. Honestly, I've no idea what's happening and what's going to happen.

"I keep getting told 'tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow'. Every time I ask what's happening they say 'don't worry you are our player, you're contracted to us, you can't go anywhere'. I'm just here."

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