Why Nottingham Forest can still sign players despite Deadline Day closing

That means that Aitor Karanka can still buy and sell players up until the end of August.

The loophole allowing clubs to bring in new players all stems from the fact that there are different transfer windows for loan deals.

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.

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 Karanka will have no need to stress if he can’t bring in any new faces before the window closes.

In terms of outgoings, Forest will still be able to sell players after August 9 - providing that the buying club is still within their nation’s respective transfer window.