January transfer window: Deadline details, Sunderland transfer business so far and latest rumours
The final 24 hours of the January transfer window are now here and there is late business to be done across the Championship.
Sunderland will head into an intriguing final day of the January transfer window and one that will be further complicated by the fact the Black Cats are in action at Middlesbrough on Monday night.
Regis Le Bris will be fully focused on guiding his side to a win at the Riverside Stadium that would boost their chances of claiming promotion into the Premier League this season. Claiming all three points against Michael Carrick’s side would actually see Sunderland move within striking distance of the automatic promotion places as they prepare for a home double header against Watford and Luton Town over the next week.
However, there can be no doubt the events off the pitch over the course of Monday will provide as much entertainment as what goes on at the Riverside Stadium and clubs across the Championship look to add to their squads on the final day of the transfer window. But where do Sunderland stand ahead of the final 24 hours and what other business could be conducted before the deadline?
What business have Sunderland conducted so far?
There was a major boost for Sunderland ahead of Monday’s trip to Teesside as loan star Wilson Isidor became a permanent member of Regis Le Bris’ squad. The talented French forward has scored nine goals in 26 appearances during the first half of the Championship season and will now hope to continue his impressive performances after sealing a permanent switch to Wearside. Isidor was joined at the Stadium of Light by fellow Frenchman Enzo Le Fee after Sunderland agreed a loan deal with Serie A club Roma that could become a permanent move if the Black Cats secure promotion this season.
In terms of outgoings, Aaron Connolly joined Championship rivals Millwall and Nazariy Rusyn and Adil Aouchiche have made respective loan moves to Hadjuk Split and Portsmouth. Defender Zak Johnson also agreed to a loan spell away from the Stadium of Light after he joined Notts County for the remainder of the season.
What are the latest Sunderland transfer rumours?
Firstly a potential outgoing. As per The Echo’s James Copley, Crystal Palace have a long-standing interest in Black Cats youngster Tommy Watson - but it is Brighton and Hove Albion leading the race for the winger. Everton have also been suggested as a potential suitor for the academy product. ESPN have claimed Sunderland and North East rivals Newcastle United are set to go head-to-head for Linfield prospect Matthew Orr and Leeds United are provided competitions for the Black Cats in the race to sign Armenian international Eduard Spertsyan. Finally, Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke has claimed Sunderland and Blackburn are ‘battling it out’ to sign Liverpool’s highly-rated youngster Jayden Danns. A full roundup of the latest transfer talk ahead of deadline day can be found here.
What are the biggest deals completed involving Championship clubs?
Romain Esse - Milwall to Crystal Palace (£12m) Tom Cannon - Leicester City to Sheffield United (£10m) Eiron Cashin - Derby County to Brighton and Hove Albion (£9m) Morgan Whittaker - Plymouth Argyle to Middlesbrough (£5m) Matej Jurasek - Slavia Prague to Norwich City (£5m) Wilson Isidor - Zenit to Sunderland (£5m) Isiah Jones - Middlesbrough to Luton Town (£5m) Sondre Langas - Viking to Derby County (£4m) Yousef Salech - Sirius to Cardiff City (£3.3m) Thelo Aasgaard - Wigan Athletic to Luton Town (£3m)
* Figures according to TransferMarkt.com
What time is the January transfer window deadline?
It is somewhat unusual to see the January transfer window not closing until three days into February - but the switch has taken place to bring the deadline England in line with major leagues across Europe. That means Scottish clubs can sign and register new signings up until 11pm GMT on Monday, February 3.
Can players be registered after the deadline has passed?
Yes, but unlike the Premier League, there is no ‘deal sheet’ process that allows top flight clubs extra time to complete a deal if they submit the relevant information two hours before the deadline. Deal sheets are not used in the EFL but there is a process called a ‘quick application’ that has been introduced to allow clubs an additional quarter of an hour to finalise a deal.
The rules state: "If a club is in a ‘Full Application’ at 22:30:00, they will receive a warning that states the system will open a ‘Quick Application’ at 22:45:00, where only certain fields need to be completed. In those last 15 minutes of the Transfer Window, EFL systems allow clubs to submit the necessary registration form without completing the full application process. Where they do this, the clubs then have a further 15 minutes to complete the full application process. This avoids clubs missing the deadline in circumstances where they have agreed and signed all necessary documents with another club and the player before 11pm, but still need time to complete the full application."
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