TRANSFERS
When does the 2023 January transfer window open and close for soccer teams?
After the World Cup in Qatar interrupted many domestic seasons, clubs are now eyeing reinforcements to ensure objectives are met.
We all took a break from the intensity of club football to give some attention to our national teams. And now that Lionel Messi has added that extra star to the Argentina shirt, we can return our gaze to domestic leagues, with managers having to deal with the impact of a mid-season World Cup for the first time ever.
Clubs eye January transfer deals
One of the plusses of the timing of the FIFA showpiece was that players -- those that weren’t injured in the hectic lead up anyway -- arrived in Qatar fresh, and that was seen in energy levels across many of the games. What that could mean, however, is that come the latter stages of the domestic and continental club competitions, players may be either more fatigued or potentially we see increased injuries during that period. And it is for these reasons why the 2023 January transfer market could indeed be one of the most important.
Although there is a common narrative that clubs can’t get the best signings during the winter window, there are plenty of examples to suggest otherwise. Liverpool fans could point to Luis Suárez, Luis Díaz and Virgil van Dijk, while Manchester United to Nemanja Vidic, Patrick Evra and Bruno Fernandes. There is always a chance for clever business to be done.
When does the January transfer window open?
As we are now rather used to, there are occasional differences, usually just a few hours, between the transfer windows across Europe’s major men’s leagues. In summary:
- English Premier League - Sunday 1 January
- Germany’s Bundesliga - Sunday 1 January
- Spain’s LaLiga Santander - Monday 2 January
- Italy’s Serie A - Monday 2 January
- France’s Ligue 1 - Monday 2 January
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When does the January transfer window close?
- English Premier League - Tuesday 31 January 5pm ET / 2pm PT (local 11pm GMT)
- Germany’s Bundesliga - Tuesday 31 January 11am ET / 8am PT (local 5pm CET)
- Spain’s LaLiga Santander - Tuesday 31 January 5:59pm ET / 2:59pm PT (local 11:59pm CET)
- Italy’s Serie A - Tuesday 31 January 1pm ET / 10am PT (local 7pm CET)
- France’s Ligue 1 - Tuesday 31 January 5:59pm ET / 2:59pm PT (local 11:59pm CET)
When will new signings be able to play?
Clearly fans will be keen to see their new stars in action as soon as possible following the announcement that their club has got their name scribbled on an official piece of paper. And the good news is that there isn’t much of a lag time between ink drying and getting boots on.
The key timing to know is that the paperwork to register a player with the league must be submitted by midday of the last working day ahead of the team’s game.