When does January's winter transfer window open & close?

For many of Europe’s top clubs the summer transfer window has only just closed, though already some teams will be looking to January in an effort to plug gaps that they failed to address over the summer.

Players, too, will cast their eyes towards the possibility of a new start at the beginning of the year, particularly those such as Tottenham’s Christian Eriksen, who spent the summer months angling for a switch that was never completed.

The winter window promises to be an important juncture of the season, with those sides that are thriving seeking to provide fresh impetus with further reinforcements and those struggling seeking to change their fortunes with a new influx of talent.

Of course, the window is not uniform around the continent, although there are fewer discrepancies between leagues in comparison to its summer companion.

In the Premier League, the 2019-20 January transfer period will begin on Wednesday, January 1 and will run until Friday, January 31. This means that the window will be over before the rolling winter break kicks in during February.

Interestingly, the women’s transfer window in England over the winter differs slightly, with female players only able to transfer between clubs from December 27, 2019 through until January 23.

Europe’s ‘Big Five’ leagues broadly follow the same pattern, although the window will only open for Spanish and Italian clubs on January 2. Nevertheless, it will also close on January 31.

There is a slight variation in Portugal, meanwhile, that may give their clubs an edge in signing wantaway players. The window there only opens on January 3 and shuts on February 2.

Russian sides also have a prolonged period in which to push through deals, with the window there not shutting until February 21.

In terms of other key leagues that players from Europe now frequently join, there is greater discrepancy, particularly those that do not run an August-May season as is commonplace in the game’s biggest competitions.

China, for example, will see its window open on January 1 but only close on February 28, while clubs in the USA have their main transfer period and can sign players from February 13 through until May 7, a time when the season in Europe is beginning to reach its climax.

Australia, meanwhile, follows closely with the European pattern, with the window opening on January 3 and shutting on January 31.