Can players be signed after the deadline day transfer window is closed?

The transfer window. The ultimate creation of modern football that encapsulates just about everything to do with modern football. Transfer fees, wages, swap deals, private jets, medicals booked, FFP, agent bonuses... it’s non-stop all summer until the virtual window comes crashing down on the fingertips of those who couldn’t get players over the line in time.

But what happens if things aren’t wrapped up before the deadline? Do players have to pull into the A1 services just before Darlington (you know the one, with the Gregg’s and the Costa Coffee) and head back down to Watford? Or is there a way for players and teams to complete deals after Jim White has popped his yellow tie back in the glass display box?

Transfers that are not confirmed, with all the details tied up and sealed before the deadline can, believe it or not, be completed after the window closes. For this to happen, a deal sheet must be signed by the two teams in question.

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A deal sheet is basically a document that shows that both teams have agreed a fee for the player and a way to structure the payments. Of course, this is not the top and bottom of a negotiations that can include everything from private flights to number of bedrooms in a house, depending on how demanding those involved can be.

The Premier League states that “the deal sheet allows a club to confirm that a deal has been reached in order to allow for additional time to submit the remaining documentation. For a deadline of 23:00, the deal sheet cannot be used before 21:00 and needs to arrive fully completed before the transfer window closes. Once the sheet arrives, clubs have got another two hours, or until 01:00, in which to submit the full paperwork.”