Transfer Deadline Day: All you need to know...

Here we'll explain just when the transfer window closes, who it affects, and why deals could still happen following 5pm on Thursday.

Which clubs are involved in this transfer deadline?

Unlike in previous seasons, the transfer window is due to close on Thursday August 8 at 5pm, ahead of the start of the Premier League season.

This change was put in place to ensure that clubs know who they have available for the start of the season, stopping teams from signing players after already playing a number of games over the course of the league.

This came after a number of players ended up not playing for their clubs as they looked to force moves elsewhere in previous windows - Virgil Van Dijk, for example.

However, this change only affects the top two tiers of English football. That means Wolves, Aston Villa and West Brom must complete their incoming deals by this deadline.

Teams in League One and League Two have until Monday September 2 at 5pm to bring in players. That means Walsall are not in such a rush to get deals done as their Midland compatriots due to their League Two status.

Can my club still sell players after the deadline?

In short - yes. But it depends on certain things.

Wolves, Villa and Albion will all be able to sell players after the deadline to clubs who's governing transfer window remains open.

That means that they can still have clubs from the likes of Scotland, Spain, Italy, Germany and France all provide a potential destination for players.

Of course, this can be both a positive and negative.

Teams can still get unwanted players off their books despite having started the season, but should a big team from abroad come in for a player a team wants to keep there's no way to replace them should they leave.

Can my club still sign players on-loan?

Clubs in the Premier League and Championship will not be able to loan a player in following the deadline on Thursday.

This could work in the favour of League One and Two clubs, along with teams further afield.

Typically, Premier League sides use the Championship as a stepping stone for players they'd like to send out on a temporary basis to gain experience, but given the closer deadline, they may need to utilise lower league clubs or those abroad if Championship sides don't act fast enough.

Last season we saw Villa bring Tammy Abraham in on loan on a number of games into the campaign - that would not be the case this season.

Basically, the deadline is exactly the same for permanent or temporary deals.

Also, there is no emergency loan system in place anymore, the only exception being with goalkeepers, which can be signed on a week-long basis in very extreme circumstances (for example, if all professional glovesmen are injured, suspended or away on international duty at a club).

If you're curious as to how many loans your club can make, Premier League sides are allowed four loans in one season, but just two registered to their squad at a time. You can only loan one player from a single club at any time.

Below the top flight, teams are allowed up to eight loan signings, but only five can be registered in a match-day squad. You can loan four players from the same club if you like, but two of them must be under the age of 23.

What if a deal misses the deadline?

Due to the sheer rush surrounding transfers on deadline day, the Premier League has a deal sheet system in place that can give a team extra time to finalise paperwork.

This means that if two clubs agree to a transfer, they can submit their joint intentions to complete the deal by the deadline and receive extra time to finalise the rest of the documentation to confirm the move.

These sheets need to declare the player being transferred, the two clubs involved, the fee and dates of payments, along with a some extra details.

If that sheet is submitted by 5pm on deadline day, the clubs involved in the deal will have two hours past that to sort things out.

That means clubs could all be confirming moves anytime before 7pm on Thursday should they submit their deal sheets on time.

There is an added hiccup when dealing with international transfers, with clubs needing to meet FIFA's requirements too, using the Transfer Matching System, which has a separate deadline.

What about free agents?

Free agents work differently to contracted players in terms of when they can be signed.

The likes of Andy Carroll, Fernando Llorente and Daniel Sturridge are all without a club following their release from their respective teams at the end of last season.

Unlike contracted players, they are free to join clubs at any time given that they weren't registered with a side after the deadline.

So, if a team was to release a player in late September, they couldn't be signed by any team until the January transfer window rolls around.

This also depends on squad space in regards to Premier League clubs. Teams need to have an open spot to register a free agent. If your side has a full squad, a free agent would not be able to feature for your team.

How about work permits?

We've already seen work permit situations regarding Aston Villa this summer, in which they successfully signed Douglas Luiz from Manchester City, and reportedly saw his application finally come through this week.

If your club is signing a player from outside the EU and European Economic Area, they need permission to work in the UK.

A club can agree to a transfer with the added stipulation that a permit is granted to a player, but if that permit isn't granted the deal will fall through.

A permit application must be made ahead of the transfer deadline for the transfer to be successful - although an answer isn't always issued right away.

The Home Office uses a points based system to determine whether a player is granted a work permit.

This involves a number of factors including, but not limited to, the amount paid for a player, the size of their wages and appearances on the international stage.

Work permits have scuppered deals before, with Douglas Luiz never making an appearance for Manchester City due to his situation - something Pep Guardiola has gone on the record to criticise.

Fortunately for Villa, it's likely that his wages and transfer fee upon joining the club have secured him his permit to play for the club this season.

Is that all?

That just about covers it, so in short:

Premier League and Championship clubs have until 5pm on Thursday August 8 to sign players permanently or on-loan.

League One and Two clubs have until 5pm Monday September 2 to sign players permanently or on-loan.

Players can be sold and loaned out by all clubs after those dates to clubs whose transfer windows remain open.

Free agents can be signed any time by clubs given they were not registered to a team by the closure of their club's transfer window, Premier League clubs need to have an available squad space.