Lincoln City have received a boost in terms of getting Deadline Day deals over the line as deal sheets have been introduced to all clubs in the EFL.
All clubs from the Championship, SkyBet League One and League Two have been informed about the introduction of “Deal Sheets” for the first time at that level.
The system has already being used by Premier League clubs since 2008, and the EFL has now told its 72 sides that it will be put in place for them to also use from this winters deadline of Monday, February 2.
What is a Deal Sheet?
An EFL deal sheet is a document introduced to help sides complete last minute transfers on Deadline Day.
They cannot be used until the final two hours of a transfer window, so for tomorrow’s deadline of 7pm, clubs can use a deal sheet from 5pm onwards.
It gives teams in the Premier League or EFL an extra two hours (until 9pm) to get all the paperwork finalised and submitted for a transfer so the deal can go through.
For a deal sheet to be submitted an agreement must be made between the selling club, the buying club and the player as well as their representatives.
On top of that, they must also state the transfer fee, all instalments but also any contingency payments to protect the buying club.
A recent example of a deal sheet being used came in the summer, when Liverpool used a deal sheet in an attempt to secure the services of Marc Guehi for an agreed fee of £35 million – that was until Crystal Palace cancelled the deal at the last hour.
Before that, a total of nine late transfers were submitted in August 2024, with Chelsea using a deal sheet to sign Enzo Fernandez from Benfica for a then British record fee of £106.8 million.
How does this effect Lincoln City?
With the introduction of deal sheets, all teams in the EFL can now complete transfers at the death by securing a crucial two hour extension.
We know how much the Imps love a deadline day signing, with the Lincolnshire side adding Adam Reach, Justin Obikwu, Fin Barbrook and Dexter Lembikisa to their ranks on the last day of the summer transfer window five months ago.
And City could be busy once again on Deadline Day, with Michael Skubala surely eager to add more quality to his side as they hunt down promotion to the Championship.
Departures also look likely, with out of favour Dutch defender Lewis Montsma rumoured with a move away as he could target a new club to get himself some regular gametime.