Clarification over Sheffield Wednesday registrations after deadline confusion

The squad list deadline for the teams in the English Football League is set for 5pm on the fourth Thursday in March (today), with ‘any new registration or transfer of a player’ after that leaving them ineligible for the remaining fixtures.

However it’s now understood that that only applies when said player is not already on the books of a club, meaning that Paterson can be registered to feature for the Owls as long as there is space left on the 25-man list.

Wednesday boss, Danny Röhl, confirmed on Thursday that both Lee Gregory and Jeff Hendrick had been added, taking the list to 24 at this point in time, which may suggest that at least one of them could be in line to feature against Swansea City this weekend – otherwise they too could be added to the list at any point.

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Had the 25-man registered squad been full by 5pm today then there is no space for manoeuvring – even for players already at the club – but leaving a spot open means that ‘Pato’, Juan Delgado or even Ciaran Brennan could technically be added as late into the season as Wednesday want.

The Scot is seen as the most likely option to take the final space, even if only at some point in April, but this update over the meaning of ‘new registration in the EFL regulations serves as clarification over when he can be brought back into the fold.