On November 3rd, reports coming out of Denmark explained West Ham United are close to agreeing a deal with Silkeborg IF for Frederik Alves after he was spotted in London with his agent.
A day later, the Danish side confirmed on their official website the sale of the defender will be completed when the transfer window opens in January. However, Silkeborg didn’t reveal the details of the 20-year-old’s next club.
Later that month, Midtjyllands Avis reported the player’s move to the London club could be impacted by Brexit.
Two days ago, the Premier League, FA and EFL issued a joint statement, detailing the requirements for overseas players to play in the UK post-Brexit. This will come into effect from January 1st.
The report states Alves would ‘hardly be able to get GBE [Governing Body Endorsement]’, which is why it’s ‘important’ for West Ham and Silkeborg to agree for the player’s transfer on or before December 31st.
David Moyes’ side, however, will not be able to register the the Denmark U21 international before the start of the next month.
Despite the new rules for overseas players coming into effect from January, it’s claimed Alves will have ‘no problems’ playing in England.