When the summer transfer window is set to reopen - as Blackpool look to build on additions of ex-Sheffield Wednesday and Stockport County figures

Blackpool added two new players to their ranks during the first part of the summer transfer window.

The Seasiders looked to address their defensive woes from last season, with two new centre backs being added to Steve Bruce’s squad.

Fraser Horsfall got the ball rolling, with the 28-year-old penning a four-year deal following the expiry of his contract with Stockport County.

The centre back was part of the Hatters side that won promotion to League One, and featured 31 times in the third tier last season.

Meanwhile, he was quickly followed through the door by Michael Ihiekwe - who has signed a three-year deal after leaving Sheffield Wednesday.

Throughout his career, the 32-year-old has won promotion to the Championship on four separate occasions.

The recent additional 10-day registration period was introduced due to this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup - allowing the clubs taking part in that competition to complete some early business.

This came to an end at 7pm on Tuesday evening, but it won’t be long until business can officially get going again.

The window will reopen on June 16, and will run through as usual into the first month of the season, with the deadline coming at 7pm on September 1.

This forms part of a number of key dates for Blackpool to focus on over the next 12 months.

Here’s some of the other main events for the diary:

Fixture release (June 26)

The fixtures for the 2025/26 campaign will be announced on Thursday, June 26 at 9am.

Blackpool started the current season with a trip to Crawley Town, which ended in a 2-1 defeat, while the year before they overcame Burton Albion at home.

The draws for the opening rounds of the EFL Cup and the EFL Trophy will take place on the same day as the fixtures are released.

The former will then get underway on the week commencing August 11, while the group stages for the latter will start on the week commencing September 1.

End of contracts (June 30)

Most players will officially come to the end of their contract on June 30, meaning after this date they will be free to move elsewhere officially.

With a move to Charlton Athletic recently confirmed for Sonny Carey at the conclusion of his Seasiders deal, Matthew Pennington remains the only player who is still in negotiations.

The Gazette understands the defender is assessing his options as he searches for regular game time elsewhere, following a reduction in his role on the Fylde Coast last season.

Opening weekend (August 1-3)

League One and League Two both get started on the same weekend, with the opening round of fixtures for the two divisions taking place between August 1 and August 3.

Final games (May 2-3)

All three EFL divisions will end their regular seasons on the weekend of 2/3 May 2026.

Play-off dates

The three EFL play-off finals will take place across the same bank holiday weekend in the following order: Championship (May 23), League One (May 24), and League Two (May 25).

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