I think most sensible people would agree with you on that. Never heard anyone explain logically why the window can't be set up to close before the first game although I get that the Premier League starts a week later than the EFL.
Didn't really affect us much considering we lost the one match he played in and won the two he missed. He was never going to play in the West Ham cup game.
I just read a piece that suggested interest in him was strong but has since tailed off. Sounds like his agent was doing a bit of fishing to see if there were any bites.
None of that matters - if the ref saw it he is obliged to stop the game. Not saying that's right or wrong but it's the rules and I get that we'd have been gutted if it happened to us.
Did the ref not spot Downes getting a serious head injury? I can only think he didn't see the incident properly (although he ran straight past Downes) otherwise he should have stopped the game immediately.