Following the chaotic transfer window that ensued over the summer, we now already find ourselves in January with the winter window now officially open.
Clubs tend to avoid dipping into the winter market as they’ll often be required to pay a premium for players. Nevertheless, we’re still expecting an influx of deals across the continent and beyond, particularly in the Saudi Pro League.
Read more: Saudi Pro League transfer rumours
So with the window now here, Football FanCast provides an informational guide detailing everything you need to know.
When did the January transfer window open? Premier League
The Premier League January transfer window will open on Monday, 1 January 2024.
EFL
The EFL January transfer window will open on Monday, 1 January 2024.
La Liga
The La Liga January transfer window will open on Tuesday, 2 January 2024.
Serie A
The Serie A January transfer window will open on Tuesday, 2 January 2024.
Bundesliga
The Bundesliga January transfer window is expected to open on Monday, 1 January 2024.
Ligue 1
The Ligue 1 January transfer window will open on Monday, 1 January 2024.
Saudi Pro League
The Saudi Pro League January transfer window is expected to open on Monday, 1 January 2024.
When does the January transfer window close?
Premier League
Here in England, the Premier League January transfer window will close on Thursday, 1 February at 11pm GMT.
EFL
Here in England, the transfer window for the Football League will also close on Thursday, 1 February at 11pm GMT.
La Liga
Over in Spain, the La Liga January transfer window will close on Wednesday, 31 January at 11pm GMT.
Serie A
Over in Italy, the Serie A January transfer window will close on Wednesday, 31 January at 7pm GMT.
Bundesliga
Over in Germany, the Bundesliga January transfer window is expected to close on 1 February at 5pm GMT.
Ligue 1
Over in France, the Ligue 1 January transfer window will close on 31 January. Though timings aren’t currently known.
Saudi Pro League
The Saudi Pro League operates slightly differently, with their window due to slam shut a couple of days earlier on Tuesday, 30 January 2024.
Can clubs still sign players past the deadline?
Technically yes, clubs can sign players past the 11pm deadline, however, they’ll need to submit a deal sheet in order to do so.
A deal sheet must be signed and submitted between 9pm and 11pm leading up to the deadline. The form essentially provides the relevant authorities with evidence that a transfer has been agreed.
Should it be accepted, clubs will be granted an additional two hours to complete the proposed transfer, allowing for any last-minute formalities like medicals and outstanding paperwork to be completed.
The time varies when signing an international player, with the club having to abide by the FIFA Transfer Matching System deadline of 12am.
In order to register a player, the club must submit all the relevant documents to the Premier League, which include the contracts and the transfer agreement.
Transfers from abroad may require additional documents such as permission to work in the UK and international clearance.
All paperwork must align with Football Association (FA) rules and sometimes FIFA regulations.
How many loan players can clubs sign?
Premier League clubs can’t register more than two loan players at any one time. Across the course of a whole season, clubs can register four loan players.
Under no circumstances will sides be allowed to register two players on loan from the same club at any one time.
The rules vary slightly for the EFL, with teams able to register a maximum of five loan players in a matchday squad, though, no more than two can be over the age of 23.
Such is why we often see the loan market utilised far more in the lower leagues rather than the Premier League.
How many players can clubs loan?
FIFA have introduced a new ruling which will see a reduction in players going out on loan. Currently, teams can loan out a maximum of seven players, though, that will reduce by one each season. So put simply, in 2025/26 sides will only be allowed to loan out five players.
A 2021 Council of Europe Report believes the FIFA Transfer System Reform was introduced to protect the development of a young players career.
“The new regulations on the loan system are planned to prevent their misuses, protect careers of young players and ensure the integrity of competitions.
“Excessive loaning of players has influenced the competitive abilities of the clubs, distorted the uncertainty of the results of sport competitions and slowed down the development of the players’ careers.”
Clubs will now have to be more strategic moving forward and we may say a huge curtailment of slightly older players heading out on loan, with the younger generation taking priority.
Further, perhaps the loan-to-buy format clubs have often utilised in recent years will start to phase out with FIFA’s new rulings.
How many non-homegrown players can clubs sign?
Following the close of each transfer window, Premier League clubs must name their 25-man squad. Players under-21 can supplement this number throughout the campaign without having to take up one of the 25 spots, thus promoting more academy graduates.
No more than 17 non-homegrown players can be registered. In order to qualify as homegrown, the player must have played for an FA affiliated club for at least three years prior to turning 21.
So for example, Chelsea’s Robert Sanchez and Manchester City’s Nathan Ake both classify as homegrown, having been on the books of an English academy for three years before turning 21.
If sides don’t have enough homegrown players to fill the quota, they must name a smaller squad. For instance, Liverpool named a 24-man squad last season as they only had seven homegrown players.
Brexit has complicated matters, with clubs no longer able to sign players from the European Union under the age of 18. That would’ve impacted Manchester United, who wouldn’t have been able to sign Alejandro Garnacho untill July 2022.
Previous rules allowed United to sign the talented winger as a 16-year-old in October 2020, joining from Atletico Madrid.
