How reported rule changes affect Sheffield Wednesday’s contract dilemmas

According to the Sunderland Echo, a number of changes have been agreed upon with regards to the regulations surrounding player contracts given the fact that the season will not be finished by the time many contracts expire at the end of June.

The Owls in particular have several players coming out of contract next month as a new cycle begins at Hillsborough, with the likes of Fernando Forestieri, Steven Fletcher, Morgan Fox, Sam Hutchinson and many others all currently without deals for the 2020/21 season.

As things were, all of the players due to see their deals expire would have been able to sign precontracts elsewhere last week as of the third Saturday in May, but they will now not be able to do that until June 24th.

The Echo reports that the four main changes to contractual regulations that have now been agreed are as follows:

- Rival clubs cannot approach players whose contracts expire on June 30 until June 24. Under previous rules, they were able to approach these players after the third Saturday in May.

- Clubs have until June 23 to offer players a new contract or release them.

- In the event that fixtures will continue past June 30, out of contract players can sign a short-term extension which will run until such a point as the 2019/20 season is completed.

- If a player leaves a club and agrees to sign for another, they will not be eligible for any fixtures until the 2020/21 campaign begins.

It also means that manager, Garry Monk, will have a bit more time to make his decision on who he feels may or may not deserve a new contract in Sheffield based on the final nine games of the season, though a relatively new-look Wednesday side is expected regardless of what happens between now and then.

More Wednesday reading:

Sheffield Wednesday duo speak out for #BlackLivesMatter cause

OutFoxed – How Morgan turned things around at Sheffield Wednesday

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