What is a deal sheet? Deadline day’s last-minute transfers explained | OneFootball

The excitement of transfer deadline day doesn’t always have to stop when the window officially closes, as some moves may still be waiting to be announced.

This winter, the transfer deadline for Premier League clubs is 7:00pm BST on February 2. For any more new signings to arrive, deals have to be agreed with the selling clubs before that cut-off point. However, there are occasionally some transfers that don’t get announced until after the deadline.

As things go down to the wire, clubs have the chance to submit a deal sheet to the Premier League for any outstanding deals. But what exactly is a deal sheet and how does the process work?

A deal sheet is a piece of paperwork that clubs can submit to the Premier League to indicate they have reached an agreement for a transfer before the deadline, but not yet submitted the full paperwork.

In the summer 2025 transfer window, deal sheets submitted before the deadline included for Merlin Rohl’s move to Everton and Oleksandr Zinchenko’s move to Nottingham Forest, but also some that didn’t lead to completed transfers like Marc Guehi to Liverpool.

Below, from the Premier League’s official X account, is an example of what a deal sheet looks like:

When can deal sheets be used?

The timeframe for clubs to submit a deal sheet isn’t infinite. With the transfer deadline set for 7pm, clubs can only use deal sheets in a two-hour window between 5pm and 7pm.

And even then, it doesn’t count as a guarantee that the deal will go through. The full paperwork has to be submitted within two hours of the deadline passing – in this case, by 9pm.

The player’s medical doesn’t need to have taken place by then, although clubs would theoretically prefer to have that part of the process sorted too. But as long as the paperwork is in, the registration can still go through even if still subject to a medical.

The paperwork that needs to be submitted includes the player’s contract, evidence of the agreement between the clubs, and international clearance if the player is joining from a foreign club.

International transfers have to meet the FIFA Transfer Matching System deadline, which is at midnight. This step ensures the information from the buying and selling clubs corresponds and clearance is granted by both country’s governing bodies.

Whether an international or domestic transfer, once the paperwork is submitted, the Premier League then cross-references it with its own and FA rules, and FIFA regulations if necessary.

Finally, the Premier League informs the club if the player’s registration has been accepted.