The summer transfer window looks set to take on a very different look for Nottingham Forest and their Championship rivals this year, with the coronavirus pandemic wreaking havoc on the sporting calendar.
With 'Project Restart' given the go-ahead for next month, it is hoped the 2019/20 season will resume soon - although currently that would see it clash with the opening of the transfer market.
And with a number of issues still to be concluded on how the campaign will finish, the window could be set for some big changes in order to accommodate clubs.
Here’s everything we currently know about the summer transfer window and the changes that could be in the pipeline.
When is the transfer window set to open?
Officially, the summer transfer window in England is set to open on June 10.
Obviously, with the pandemic causing havoc with schedules, and not to mention clubs’ finances, that could change, although nothing has been announced as of yet.
When is the transfer window set to close?
For the past two seasons, the Premier League’s window has closed on the Thursday before the first game of the season, but clubs were unhappy that the rest of the European leagues continued with their business beyond then.
Therefore, they voted to revert to the previous system, meaning they would have until the end of August to sign players.
Although the EFL haven’t announced their plans for the window, they were expected to fall into line with the Premier League.
With a Bank Holiday falling on August 31, the Championship would have in fact been given an extra 24 hours on their European counterparts to complete their deals, with the deadline instead falling at 5pm on September 1.
What could change?
With 'Project Restart' potentially getting underway on June 20, it means Championship clubs could be playing while the summer window is just getting started – not an ideal situation for those clubs chasing promotion to the Premier League, or battling relegation to League One.
As of yet though, there has been no talk of delaying the opening of the window, although how much business would be done during the conclusion of the current campaign would likely be impacted.
With the 2019/20 season set to run into the summer, there have been suggestions the window could remain open beyond the September 1 deadline currently set.
The Telegraph have reported FIFA will talk to clubs about keeping the transfer window open, possibly as far as January, in an effort to keep money flowing throughout football.
It is hoped by doing that, clubs would have the chance to recover financially before dipping their toes into the market as they look to sign players once again.
And the move to extend the window has seen support from some chief executives, so it’s likely we’ll see a later deadline one way or another.
