The final week of the 2024 January transfer window is here in the Premier League and the finale looks set to be very intriguing with so many teams fighting to find that extra bit of quality.
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With the title race, top four, European and relegation scraps all so tight, Premier League teams will be desperately searching for the player, or players, who can make the difference at the business end of the season. The winter window is the time to take a gamble, or three, to try and kick on in the second half of the campaign.
Below is everything you need for the Premier League winter transfer window.
What dates are the January transfer window?
The winter window in 2024 opens on January 1 and closes on February 1 at 6pm ET.
What are the rules and what does the winter transfer window mean?
Simply put: from January 1 to the deadline on February 1 all 20 Premier League teams can buy and sell as many players as they want. They will only be able to register 25 senior players in their squad at the end of window. The winter transfer is usually a way for teams to boost their chances of winning the title, finishing in the top four, pushing for European qualification or staying up. So many teams each season take a gamble and for many it is all about doing the right business at the right price given the premium usually placed on transfers completed in this window. But, as always, there are superb deals to be had (especially loan deals) which have a huge impact on your season.
How many players can be in a Premier League squad?
From the Premier League’s official website, here is the ruling on how many players can be registered to play by each team:
“Each squad contains no more than 17 players who do not fulfil the ‘Home Grown Player’ (HGP) criteria. The rest of the squad, up to a total of 25 players, must be ‘Home Grown’. Premier League clubs can also submit an additional list of registered Under-21 players who are eligible over and above the squad limit of 25 players.”
Who are the top players available?
Whether or not certain players are available or not in the January window remains to be seen but it appears that two strikers, Ivan Toney and Victor Osimhen, will dominate talk in the winter window. The former is back from suspension at Brentford and the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea have both been linked with the England international who will provide a brand new focal point for their attack. But can Brentford sell him this month? Probably not so talks over a summer move seems more likely. Osimhen has been linked to the same two clubs, plus Manchester United, and will provide something very similar as he’s told reporters at AFCON (where he is currently representing Nigeria) that he has made his decision on his future. So it seems like Osimhen could be on the way to the Premier League and in the case of Arsenal, signing a true No. 9 in January could be the difference between them winning the Premier League title or finishing behind Manchester City once again.
Other top players who could be available are Jadon Sancho (he went to Borussia Dortmund on loan) Anthony Martial, Casemiro and Raphael Varane at Manchester United as Erik ten Hag cleans house with plenty of those names expected to leave on a permanent basis this summer. Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher, Marc Cucurella and Axel Disasi could all be sold too and the Blues are in the hunt for a new goalkeeper as Mauricio Pochettino aims to continue the huge turnover of players at Stamford Bridge.
When will the transfer window close in 2024?
As we mentioned, the transfer window closes on February 1 at 6pm ET and it then reopens for the summer window on July 1.
Can players be signed outside the transfer window?
Technically, yes. Players who are free agents (hello, David de Gea) can be signed outside of a transfer window but clubs must make sure they are registered in their 25-man Premier League squad by the deadline. If they aren’t then they cannot play in the Premier League. Another thing to keep an eye on: technically players can complete an emergency loan deal (by request to the Premier League) if several goalkeepers are injured at the same time and they don’t have a senior goalkeeper to play in a game.
Can a player refuse a transfer?
Absolutely. If a player does not want to leave a Premier League team, they don’t have to. They are contracted to that club and the club has an obligation to pay them until they agree to a transfer elsewhere or come to an mutual agreement to terminate that contract.