How the coronavirus could affect Sheffield Wednesday's transfer window - and how it could damage clubs' dealings

University of Liverpool lecturer Kieran Maguire, has spoken about the potential long-lasting ramifications of the coronavirus suspension of proceedings, which is expected to be extended weeks past the current April 4 resumption date.

The EFL today put out a statement admitting any next steps as to how the 2019/20 season will be completed are up in the air while the consequences and timeframe of the virus become clearer.

One major complication to the extension of the league schedule is that a great many player contracts run out in June and July.

And Maguire, who also co-hosts the Price of Football podcast, has pointed out further complications in terms of a shortened summer transfer window.

“My concern is that you've got practically every club in the Championship being subsidised by the owners or reliant on player sales,” he told The Star.

“The nightmare scenario is that football effectively gets suspended for a number of months and it means that there is no transfer market this summer. If there is, the buying clubs will be at a huge financial advantage and will be able to get players at 'fire sale' prices, which won't be good.

“If you do historically have a situation whereby someone is subsidising the club, if those owners have their own businesses that generate money to subsidise the football club, everybody is suffering at present with the economic shock from coronavirus and it could be that those businesses don't have the resources to transfer across to the football club.

“It's similar to the scenario at Bury, where Steven Day's regular business went belly-up and it meant he couldn't put £40,000 a week across to Bury Football Club. The same is true in the Championship, other than you've got to put a zero onto the end of that figure at some clubs.”