Sheffield Wednesday face race against time to get Cardiff City man in for Bolton Wanderers trip – what EFL rules say

The 21-year-old former Arsenal youth prospect, who made 34 appearances in the Championship last season and has League One experience on loan at Ipswich Town, looks likely to be joining the Owls to end Darren Moore’s search for a defender.

That search started with confirmation that Akin Famewo would be out for much if not the rest of the season.

And while McGuinness isn’t perhaps the exact like-for-like left-footer Wednesday may well have taken in an ideal world, he comes in to bolster the Owls defence.

Presuming it gets done, could he make his debut this weekend?

On Saturday, Wednesday make the trip to take on a Bolton Wanderers side yet to lose in the third tier in this campaign.

Famewo won’t be the only defender missing, with Reece James suspended after he was shown a red card during the midweek defeat at Peterborough United.

It leaves Ben Heneghan, Michael Ihiekwe, Dominic Iorfa and the ever-versatile Liam Palmer as the only specialist defenders when it comes to playing a back three.

McGuinness is comfortable on the ball and can operate either at the heart or on the right of a back three.

If Wednesday want to get him in – to the matchday squad at least – they’ll need to get in before the EFL deadline.

So when exactly is the deadline?

Should the Owls want to include McGuinness in the matchday squad this weekend, the club will have to have his signed signed, sealed and ratified by the EFL no later than midday on Friday.

The EFL wording over registration deadlines read:

43.8 Subject to Regulations 43.2, 43.3 and 57, a Player will only be eligible to play in a match organised by The League if the appropriate forms for his registration or the transfer of his registration (including, for the avoidance of doubt, Temporary Loan Transfers) are:

43.8.1 submitted (in such manner as the League shall specify from time to time) to and received by The League by 12.00 noon on the day prior to the date of such match; and

43.8.2 confirmed by the League to be in order.