The Premier League and the English Football League (EFL) have reportedly reached an agreement over the Football Association’s proposed rule change for the summer transfer deadline, which would have a major impact on Hull City‘s deadline day business.
Clubs in England have been informed that the window will shut four hours earlier than it usually closes, according to the Daily Mail.
The report states that move from 11pm to 7pm is aimed at providing staff working across football clubs on deadline day a more normal working pattern. Those who work on the admin side at clubs and at the leagues can often end up at their desks beyond midnight due to late deals.
It is hoped that bringing the deadline forward by four hours will minimise the impact on employees, but there are said to be some concerns, however, that clubs may not be able to get all their business completed within the new timeframe. Some executives fear it will give other clubs in Europe an advantage in the final hours of the market.
Last term, City were busy on summer deadline day bringing in the likes of Carl Rushworth, Kasey Palmer and Mohamed Belloumi, while they chased late deals right up until the 11pm deadline.
The report states: “There is also a view that, while in a perfect world, business would have been conducted well before the final hours of the window, the reality is that every hour is precious as clubs scramble to get last-minute deals done.
“By bringing the cut-off forward, some argue that officials are effectively robbing vital time from those who need to make the most business. This summer there will be two windows, thanks to FIFA’s expanded Club World Cup.
“The first will run from June 1 to June 10. The second will start on June 16 and end on September 1. The longer-than-usual window is also thought to have come into the reasoning. In the winter, the window will open from January 1 to February 2.”
No official decision has yet to be taken by the FA. Clubs usually have a two-hour grace period to complete deals after the window shuts, although the relevant paperwork will need to be submitted to the FA by 7pm. Another option reportedly being discussed is for top-flight clubs to be able to loan their players out to clubs in the three EFL divisions outside of the set transfer windows. A decision has yet to be taken on when the winter transfer window will close.