Deadline Day: Everything you need to know about the end of the January transfer window
It’s one of the most exciting times of the season: Transfer deadline day is almost upon us.
Teams now don’t have long to finalise their squads for the remainder of the season. Once the window closes, there’s no turning back. If you’ve got a weakness in your squad, you better address it now.
Here’s everything you need to know about the end of the January window.
Say hello to our new No 11 ?? pic.twitter.com/uKZK1lq1WP
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) January 27, 2021
For Premier League clubs, the January transfer window actually closes on Monday 1 February at 23:00 (GMT).
Teams have until that deadline to complete both permanent and loan deals, although they can apply to the Premier League for a short extension to get the paperwork signed if they leave it late in the window.
Now that the United Kingdom has left the European Union, Premier League teams no longer have free rein of Europe’s finest young talents.
We’ve seen a noticeable drop-off in the number of overseas youngsters heading to England this month, and that’s because they are no longer automatically eligible for a work permit. They have to go through the same process as everybody else.
However, after the window closes, the Premier League are prepared to sit down with the FA and EFL to discuss whether the new system should remain in place or whether changes need to be made to keep English football competitive with the rest of the world.
Like the Premier League, the rest of Europe’s top five leagues – the Bundesliga, Serie A, La Liga and Ligue 1 – will all see their transfer windows close on 1 February.
There are slightly different windows for various other leagues, with teams in the likes of China (26 February), Russia (25 February) and Portugal (4 February) still able to do business for a little while longer.
In the summer of 2020, there was a ‚domestic transfer window‘ which extended for an extra week following the closure of the standard window, giving Premier League sides the chance to do business with EFL sides. It’s how Joe Rodon, Said Benrahma and Karlan Grant found their way to Tottenham, West Ham and West Brom respectively.
However, that is not expected to be the case this winter. Once the window is closed, it will remain that way until the summer.
There’s still time for deals to come out of nowhere and surprise us, but there are a handful of transfers for you to keep an eye on as the window comes to a close.
At Manchester United, all eyes will be on whether Jesse Lingard, Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo and Brandon Williams head for the exit door at Old Trafford, while on the other side of Manchester, City defender Eric Garcia is still wanted by Barcelona.
Dele Alli is also expected to leave Tottenham, with Paris Saint-Germain pushing to sign him on loan, while Brighton are hoping to confirm the signing of Ecuadorian starlet Moises Caicedo from Independiente del Valle.