BURNLEY boss Sean Dyche has backed plans to close the transfer window before a ball is kicked in the Premier League - to stop departing players giving away classified secrets.

Top flight clubs are to discuss plans to shut the window before the start of the season and Dyche is in favour for several reasons, highlighting Andre Gray's recent move to Watford as an example.

"Andre Gray moved just before the start of the season. In theory, he could take all the work we’ve done in pre-season and let them know it," the Turf chief said.

"So why would you do that? Now they couldn’t do this, but ideally, you’d actually have the deadline 10 days before the first game, because usually those 10 days are when you’re fine tuning all of your details. Certainly that’s how we work.

"Those last 10 days, you really start crunching down on the details of set-pieces, of game plans, of getting the team looking roughly what it is. You could put all these plans in place, and then in theory, two or three of your players could go to another club who are in the same division and say: ‘Right, we know all of what they are trying to do.’ It doesn’t mean you win or lose that game, but it gives people a slight advantage if they know what your plans are."

This summer the transfer window is open until August 31, at which point Burnley will be three games into their Premier League campaign.

Yet they could begin September with several new faces at the club and a stronger squad, leaving an asterisk next to those opening weeks of the season.

"Well, the madness of it is that a manager can get judged on two games," Dyche said. So you can get judged very quickly, and in theory, those players’ situations could make a big difference. It could change everything.

"Hero to zero very quickly, if you’ve had three players, and they’ve helped you, and all of a sudden they’ve been sold for whatever reason, that could actually have a high impact on the manager’s role.

"I just think there are a lot of reasons why if they can find a way with the deadline then it would be better pushed forward. And any work would just have to be done earlier."