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The Premier League and EFL announced that this summer’s transfer window will open on July 27th, the day after the season ends, and will close on October 5th. There will then be an additional eleven-day period for domestic business only, in which Premier League clubs will not be able to sell to each other but may buy, sell, and loan players with clubs in the other EFL leagues. That domestic only window runs from October 5th through the 16th.
Most of the other leagues in Europe are closing their windows on October 5th, so it makes sense for the Premier League to fall in line. That date is also significant because it comes a day before UEFA’s registration deadline for the Champions League and the Europa League.
That eleven-day domestic only window is a good move by the Premier League and the EFL. It takes advantage of the full 12-week transfer window allotment that FIFA has allocated for this summer. It’s also A Good Thing because it gives EFL clubs, who have been hit much harder by the effects of COVID shutdowns, a bit more time to make money through loans and sales and to shore up their rosters.
It remains to be seen how much business Arsenal will be able to do in the window. Finances at the club are tight, and likely missing out on European competition altogether won’t help. The club did what I expect to be the majority of its business in making permanent the Pablo Mari and Cedric Soares loans, giving David Luiz another year, and signing Bukayo Saka to a new contract. I’d bet Arsenal are looking into extending Dani Ceballos’ loan for another season, but they are reportedly facing competition from other clubs interested in the midfielder on loan. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s expiring contract needs sorting, as does Shkodran Mustafi’s, and to a lesser extent Alexandre Lacazette (he’s signed through the end of the 2021-22 season).
In other news, the IFAB extended the five-substitution allowance through July 2021. It is still up to each league and competition to decide whether they will permit five substitutions.