Alexandre Gaydamak has a lot on his plate. As the owner of Portsmouth soccer club, he will see his team play in the final of the English game’s prestigious knockout competition, the FA Cup, at Wembley on Saturday. He is also seeking finance for a £600m ($1.17bn) stadium development and has a training academy in the works.

What is more, as the soccer season ends and players and fans prepare to head for the beach, club owners and their managers enter one of their busiest periods of the calendar – the summer transfer window – when the exchange of players determines the shape of the squad for next season and the direction of the club.