The transfer window is closed. Squads are set. No further movement will happen.
Or will it? While eyes have been focused on Europe’s top leagues and the signings and sales that have taken place across them, especially on Friday as those windows closed, there are other nations in which business might still be done.
This could result in players from the Premier League, La Liga and beyond being shifted out as clubs look to balance their books.
Here, The Athletic looks at the opportunities that are still open to selling clubs beyond the major windows closing.
Which windows are still open beyond Friday night?
The majority of windows across top-level European leagues closed on Friday night, but there are still two prominent leagues that attract players of a relatively good standard that are open — Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
Elsewhere, the windows in the Netherlands and Portugal are open until Monday, but it is fairly rare to see players move from leading leagues to those divisions. Traffic tends to be the other way.
So, when do the windows actually close?
Saudi Arabia — September 2
Saudi Arabia emerged as an option for any Premier League club looking to shift players last summer. While clubs from the Gulf nation have been less active in the window this summer, there is still the potential for players from across Europe to move there, such as Moussa Diaby, who left Aston Villa to join Karim Benzema at Al Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League.
What is complicated, though, is when exactly the Saudi window closes.
While the general transfer window for the nation closes on October 24, this only applies to the fourth division. The window in the top-flight Saudi Pro League, however, shuts on September 2.
This means they have until Monday to make any further purchases, which could benefit any Premier League clubs looking to get rid of some unneeded players.
Joao Cancelo joined Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League from Manchester City (Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
Turkey — September 18
Give me your tired, your poor, your Michy Batshuayis. The Turkish top flight — and beyond — has become a haven of former Premier League names. Look through any Galatasaray, Fenerbahce or Besiktas line-up over the past decade and you’ll be confronted with at least an afternoon’s worth of Wikipedia pages to trawl through.
So, whether you’re trying to move on a third-choice striker who is just not going to get games or a player with his contract ticking down, Turkey has always provided a route out of a club when the deadline has been and gone.
Given there are well over two weeks left to run for the window in Turkey, it means deals do not have to be done in a panic, too.
Michy Batshuayi is one of many former Premier League players to move to Turkey (Ahmad Mora/Getty Images)
What about making signings outside of the window?
Premier League clubs can still bring players in who are currently without a team. However, signing those free agents does come with a couple of caveats.
There either has to be space in the club’s registered squad for the season — i.e. fewer than 25 registered players — or the player has to be under the age of 21 for them to be usable.
If not, they would be able to train but would not be able to play for their new sides.
When is the registration deadline for Premier League clubs?
This is crucial for certain teams who are unable to shift any players they want to get rid of to other divisions.
Each Premier League club can name a squad with a maximum of 25 players who can take part in matches. This has to be decided by September 13.
This is important for transfer business. If, for example, a club were unable to move on one of their unwanted players before Friday’s deadline and were edging towards the closure of the deadline in Turkey, they would have to figure out whether they can fit them into their squad.
If not, they either have to pay them to train and not play, or find a way to cut their losses — possibly by accepting a lower fee than they would otherwise want to take, or sanctioning a loan move, just to get them off their books.
(Top photo: Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)
