Jim White and his yellow tie. Harry Redknapp leaning out of his car window to exchange pleasantries with reporters. Fans swarming correspondents outside grounds as their clubs pull off that last-ditch, big-money deal.
All of the above has become synonymous with transfer deadline day, where despite having had at least a full month to either bring in new faces or shift deadwood, many clubs leave their business until the eleventh hour.
That is not the case for rejuvenated Premier League champions Manchester City, who have already splashed the cash on Omar Marmoush, Vitor Reis and Abdukodir Khusanov this month, or Aston Villa, whose high-profile sale of Jhon Duran to Al-Nassr is the most expensive dealing so far.
However, a plethora of other Premier League clubs will be working around the clock to either improve or trim down their squads before the deadline strikes, and here, Sports Mole rounds up everything you need to know about transfer deadline day for January 2025.
When is transfer deadline day for January 2025?
Transfer deadline day for the winter window falls on Monday, February 3, meaning that the current open market is not purely a 'January' window this year.
What time does the window close in England?
The January window shuts at 11pm in England on February 3, although if teams have submitted deal sheets to the Premier League before the deadline, they will have until 1am - an additional two hours - to complete and register their new signings.
What time does the window close in other countries?
As is the case in England and Scotland, the winter windows in Germany (Bundesliga), France (Ligue 1), Italy (Serie A) and Spain (La Liga) will also close on February 3, but only the La Liga market also closes for business at 11pm.
The Bundesliga window is the first to slam shut at 5pm UK time on Monday, two hours before Serie A follows suit at 7pm, and the Ligue 1 window closes at 10pm.
However, the winter windows in the Netherlands (Eredivisie) and Portugal (Primeira Liga) remain open until Tuesday, February 4, and as ever, Turkish Super Lig clubs can still sign players for much longer - until February 11.
As a result, expect to see more movement out of English clubs after the 11pm Premier League deadline on Monday, and potentially for another few weeks, as the window in Brazil does not close until February 28 either.
Which clubs could be active on deadline day 2025?
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While Man City have more or less completed their January business, and Liverpool boss Arne Slot is more than content with the current crop at his disposal, their Big Six rivals Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur should remain active right until the last.
The Gunners are yet to bring in a single attacking reinforcement after serious injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka, while Man United are also on the hunt for fresh blood up front amid Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund's struggles.
New faces in both defence and attack could be sought by an increasingly desperate Tottenham outfit, but on the other hand, Chelsea are ostensibly hoping to find new temporary or permanent destinations for some of their unofficial 'B' team players.
Elsewhere in the Premier League, expect West Ham United and Bournemouth to search far and wide for new attackers on deadline day, as well as Aston Villa, who have already offloaded a few useful squad options despite their progression to the last 16 of the Champions League.
Neither Real Madrid nor Barcelona should dip their toe into the transfer water - the latter would have to trim down their wage bill quite significantly first - but Italian giants Juventus and Napoli, as well as German powerhouses Borussia Dortmund, may all strike late deals.
Which players could move on deadline day 2025?
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At the time of writing, both Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford remain on the books at Man United, but the latter's loan move to Villa is expected to be completed in the coming hours.
Whether the Red Devils would be prepared to lose both Garnacho and Rashford in the space of 24 hours is another question entirely, but the Argentine is still believed to be on the radar of a handful of Premier League and Serie A clubs and will certainly be one to watch as the clock ticks down.
Keep a close eye on Casemiro's situation too; the former Real Madrid enforcer has quickly become a bit-part player at Man United, and 'several agents' are believed to be aware of a possible opportunity there.
Villa are also about to welcome Paris Saint-Germain's Marco Asensio to the West Midlands - if reports are to be believed - while Tottenham have already hijacked Wolverhampton Wanderers' move for Lens defender Kevin Danso and are also pursuing Chelsea's Axel Disasi.
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Over at the Emirates and Old Trafford, an intense battle could be brewing for Bayern Munich protege Mathys Tel, who is known to be seeking pastures new but has already told Spurs chairman Daniel Levy that the Tottenham project is not for him.
From incomings to outgoings at Arsenal, Oleksandr Zinchenko might be the subject of a last-ditch bid from either Atletico Madrid or Borussia Dortmund, but Kieran Tierney is expected to stay put before a summer return to Celtic.
The Gunners have also been credited with a historical interest in Brighton & Hove Albion's Evan Ferguson, but it appears that West Ham have won the race for the Irishman, also briefly linked with a switch to Chelsea.
Speaking of the Blues, fringe duo Carney Chukwuemeka and Ben Chilwell are said to be in talks over loan exits to Borussia Dortmund and Crystal Palace respectively, having been frozen out of Enzo Maresca's Premier League squad.
Across Europe, Lille duo Angel Gomes and Jonathan David and Bayern's Leroy Sane represent three standout players in the last six months of their deals, so a transfer for any member of the trio should not be ruled out if a club tests their rivals' resolve with a sizeable bid.
Ben Knapton
