Why Wigan Athletic can still sign players after the transfer window has closed

The transfer window may officially shut at 5pm on Thursday but Wigan Athletic can still be active in the transfer market thanks to an EFL rule.
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Paul Cook can in fact still buy and sell players up until the end of August.

Last year, EFL clubs voted to bring the closure of the window in-line with that of Premier League clubs - meaning that the transfer window closed at 5pm on August 9.

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But this was only a ‘soft’ closure - with some deals still able to be completed after this deadline.

All permanent signings must be completed by the August 9 deadline, but clubs can still sign players on standard loan deals until August 31 at 5pm.

Indeed, players who are free agents can also be signed up until the August 31 deadline, meaning the Cook will have no need to stress if he can’t bring in any new faces before the August 9 window closes.

In terms of outgoings, Latics will still be able to loan out players to Football League clubs and can even sell players after Thursday - providing that the buying club is still within their nation’s respective transfer window.

That means that clubs in Scotland, France, Italy and further afield could all move for Wigan players, while the club could also shift some out of favour players off the wage bill.