How Man Utd can complete transfers after deadline slams shut

Manchester United have had a busier transfer window than most this summer.

The Red Devils have brought in five senior additions to Erik ten Hag’s squad at the time of writing, with deals for Antony, Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia, and Christian Eriksen taking their total spend to well in excess of £200 million.

But with just hours left to go before Thursday night’s deadline passes, signifying the closing of the market, the prospect of a late deal or two cannot be ruled out.

As things get increasingly frantic as that 11pm cut-off point looms, however, clubs can often look to buy themselves some extra time by submitting a deal sheet to the relevant authorities.

With that in mind, here’s everything you need to know on what a deal sheet is, and how they can help teams to get last ditch pieces of business over the line...

When does the summer transfer window close?

Today, Thursday September 1st 2022, is the final day of the summer transfer window.

The official deadline for Premier League and EFL clubs is 11pm BST.

Today marks the end of the window for all of Europe’s ‘top five’ leagues, although Spain’s La Liga has given its clubs until 10.59pm CEST (9.59pm BST).

Both the German Bundesliga and Italy’s Serie A are set to close business at 5pm CEST.

In Scotland, clubs have until midnight to conclude their business.

What is a deal sheet?

A deal sheet is used by a side to confirm an agreement has taken place in order to allow for additional time to submit the remaining documentation.

During last year’s summer deadline - which also had a cut-off point of 11pm - the deal sheet could not be used before 9pm and had to arrive fully completed before the 11pm deadline.

Once the sheet has arrived, the club then have an additional two hours (until 1am) to complete any necessary paperwork.

Can clubs sign players after the transfer deadline?

The deal sheet is the only way clubs are permitted to sign players after the 11pm deadline in the Premier League and EFL.

If an agreement has not been reached by this time, or the deal sheet has not been fully completed and submitted, then the club and players must wait until the transfer window reopens in January to strike any new deals.