EFL: Clubs vote to split summer transfer window deadline

3rd May 2019 | Source: BBC

Championship side Aston Villa signed Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham on a season-long loan deal on 31 August last year

English Football League clubs have voted to introduce different deadlines for the summer transfer window for sides in the Championship, and those in League One and League Two.

Championship clubs will have until the Thursday before the start of the Premier League season to complete any loan or permanent signings.

Third and fourth tier sides will still have until the end of August.

This season all 72 EFL sides had until 31 August to sign players on loan.

However, all permanent signings had to be completed by 9 August in line with the closure of the window for top-flight teams.

Next season Championship clubs will have until 17:00 BST on Thursday, 8 August to complete their transfer business.

With 31 August falling on a Saturday this year, the deadline for League One and League Two clubs will be confirmed after an EFL board meeting next Thursday.

"It is right that clubs were given the opportunity to come to a decision that benefitted their own individual transfer policies," EFL chief executive Shaun Harvey said.

The 2019-20 EFL season is scheduled to start on Saturday, 3 August - although one fixture is expected to be moved to 2 August in order to be televised.