The deadline and rules under-pressure Portsmouth must meet if new signings are to play at Sheffield Wednesday

Pompey’s trip to Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday represents a huge game for John Mousinho’s side.

Vital league points are at stake against the Championship’s bottom-placed side who have a real shortage of fit senior players for the visit of the Blues.

Meanwhile, the pressure will be on fourth-from-bottom Pompey - who have their own injury concerns - to rectify the wrongs of their 2-0 home defeat at the hands of the Owls back in September. Unbelievably, that victory for Henrik Pedersen’s troops represents Wednesday’s only league win this season.

Attention will be firmly fixed on the game at Hillsborough for another key reason, though. It’s a fixture Blues supporters were told would provide evidence of the work going on behind the scenes to strengthen Mousnho’s first-team ranks during the January transfer window.

With the match just three days away, however, there’s no sign of any of those new signings promised.

Yes, links to players have emerged, including forward duo Nesta Elphege and Millenic Alli, but nothing concrete in terms of actual players through the door.

Pompey are, therefore, in a race against the clock to deliver. With that in mind, we’ve taken a look at when any new signing needs to be registered with the EFL by if they want to feature against the Owls - plus other hurdles that need to be overcome before an official unveiling can happen.

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When is the deadline for registering a player ahead of the Sheffield Wednesday game?

All documents need to be submitted prior to midday on the day prior to the date of the match. So, in this case, the EFL will need to have the relevant paperwork by noon on Friday, January 16, with the Blues in action at Hillsborough on Saturday, January 17.

Any applications received after midday on Friday will still be processed.

How long does the process for registering a player take?

An applications for a player’s registration will be approved once the EFL is in possession of all documents, and they have been checked and found to be in order by both them and the Football Association.

In the vast majority of cases, applications will be approved on the same day. But if amendments are required it will then be for the club to make those and resubmit documents as appropriate.

How do EFL clubs like Pompey register a player?

The EFL, in conjunction with the Football Association and the Premier League, operates an online registration system. This allows all clubs to submit the necessary documents electronically via secure network.

According to the EFL, the process is designed to help clubs, asking a series of questions relating to the transaction which then flags which documents will be required.

Only once all details have been competed can the club submit the application.

Once submitted, it will be available to both the EFL and Football Association who can work independently.

What role does the EFL actually play?

It’s the EFL’s role is to ensure the terms of any transfer or loan arrangement complies with their regulations. For instance, any transfer fee has to be fully paid during the period of a player’s contract with his new club.

The EFL’s player administration team reviews all documents to ensure the relevant rules have been followed.

Should any amendments be required, these will need to be made before the player can be registered at his new club.

Applications for registration also need to be approved by the Football Association.

For your next Pompey read: Portsmouth boss offers encouraging transfer update in race against time for Sheffield Wednesday