Explained: Why winter transfer window shuts on February 3 instead of January 31 with 'harmonisation' reason given by Premier League

Despite that market generally being referred to as the ‘January window’ it will be ticking over into the second month of the new calendar year. That could be considered a good thing for those sides that like to leave their business late.

Historically, the winter window has slammed shut on January 31. That is no longer the case, with teams in England being given a few extra days in which to beat the – as plenty of managers remain in the hunt for that fabled "missing piece".

The Premier League has stated that an extension to the January window has been put in place as it allows English football to fall in line with continental neighbours. Issues are always going to materialise when individual countries and divisions find themselves working to different schedules.

The Premier League said in a statement back in May 2024, when the calendar for the current campaign was drawn up: "The winter window will open on Wednesday 1 January 2025 and will close at 23:00 GMT on Monday 3 February 2025. To ensure harmonisation with the major leagues in Europe, the closing dates were set following discussions with the EFL, DFL, Serie A, La Liga, and LFP, who will all close their Summer and Winter windows on 30 August and 3 February respectively."

Another flurry of activity is expected across the Premier League and EFL before February 3, with a relatively quiet window being taken in so far. Manchester City have been the biggest players – bringing in Omar Marmoush, Vitor Reis and Abdukodir Khusanov, while sending Kyle Walker on loan to AC Milan. Manchester United have allowed Antony to link up with Real Betis, Aston Villa have acquired Donyell Malen, Ipswich have added Ben Godfrey and Julio Enciso to their fight for survival and Wrexham are preparing to break their transfer record under Hollywood co-owner Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.