Nottingham Forest and the other 71 clubs in the Football League have been warned about the possibility of having their transfer dealings hijacked by other clubs due to new EFL regulations.
This year the league's transfer window falls into line with international regulations, which will see the window open on 10 June. No signings can be confirmed by clubs until that date.
That leaves over a month between the end of the Championship campaign and the transfer market reopening for business, although the Reds' season may extend to 21 May. For comparison, last year's window opened on May 24, 15 days after the end of the regular season.
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Portsmouth CEO Andy Cullen has pointed out that this means transfers could be scuppered by other clubs during that time, even if an agreement is in place. On the flip side, a club like Forest could leverage that to their advantage in trying to sign new players.
"The big change of dynamic in terms of the way football operates in the EFL is the transfer window has become more rigid," Cullen told The News. "In the past you could sign a player from another club or a player who was out of contract, as soon as the season finished in the EFL.
"But, FIFA last year put pressure on the FA to tell the EFL to come in line with international transfer regulations. Now the date is June 10, so you can do your business with your own players, obviously.
"With anyone new you want to register, you can have those discussions with the players if you’re looking at a transfer fee being paid and you can have those discussions with clubs. But nothing can be signed, sealed and delivered until June 10.
"So you can have a deal technically agreed and the paperwork signed before, but it doesn’t mean anything until June 10.
"We’re conscious as much as we can that we keep our business fairly close to our chest, because all we could do is getting something there and have it agreed - but you could still be prone to being hijacked in that interim period.
"That’s a bit frustrating because you’re keen to get the business done in May if you can."
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Footballers could also potentially use that gap in time to leverage a better deal for themselves. "You do have the other situation of players who have offers who will use that period to explore other options," Cullen added. "They may feel the grass could be greener somewhere else.
"Hopefully we get a few things done, but there will be a natural desire from some players to say: 'well, I know what that club’s offering - what can Portsmouth do for me?'
"It’s a real weird one, but it will not stop us trying to get into a good place and get things done."
