Summer Transfer Window 2018: All you need to know

The 2017/18 season is almost over which means that the Summer Transfer windows will be opening soon across Europe and unlike other years there are many changes to this year’s window. Most Premier League clubs wrapped up their domestic seasons on 13th May, with only the FA Cup Final (19th May), Football League play-offs (26th-28th May) and Champions League Final (26th May) left to follow. The last summer transfer window saw Premier League clubs smash through the record barrier as they forked out over a whopping £1.4 billion collectively on new recruits and the upcoming summer transfer window will also see some unbelievable transfer transaction.

When is the Summer transfer window 2018 opening? 

The 2018 summer transfer window is set to officially open on June 9th 2018– the same date as last year & 5 days before the World Cup starts. But, The Premier League has confirmed their transfer window will open at midnight on May 17. That means domestic transfers (Transfers within English clubs) can be completed from midnight on May 17, but transfers from abroad can only be finalised once the FIFA Transfer Matching System (TMS) opens on June 9th. In France, the transfer window will open on June 9. In Italy and Germany it will be on July 1 and in Spain it will be on July 2. Players who are set to move on a free transfer when their contract expires will have to wait until July 1 though, as most deals don’t expire until the day before.

When will the Summer transfer window 2019 close?

FIFA’s official deadline is the 31st August, but the FA have announced that all deals must be completed before the first game of the domestic season kicks off. So for English clubs the official closing time is at 5pm on Thursday August 9, ahead of the season’s curtain raiser expected to be on the 10 or 11. This means clubs have over three weeks’ less time than previous years & other leagues – cue deadline day panic & drama like we’ve never seen before. Clubs will be able to sell players until August 31 but they won’t be able to bring in replacements after the deadline of August 9. That’s because other leagues have different windows and will still be open.

What other changes have been made to the Summer transfer window 2018? 

Previously, clubs who failed to get their business done could still bring in fresh recruits on an emergency loan basis for up to three months at a time. Sadly the emergency loan rule is no more, after the FA scrapped it following increasing pressure from FIFA. That means any loan deals now have to be completed inside the two designated transfer windows meaning once that window shuts, you’re stuck with what you’ve got. Unless you can nab someone on a free.

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