FIGC rule change allows Milan to hand Fullkrug an immediate debut on January 2

The FIGC have altered a rule which means that Milan will now be able to hand Niclas Fullkrug an immediate debut against Cagliari on January 2 should his transfer from West Ham United go through. 

Milan are expected to welcome Germany international Fullkrug to San Siro at the beginning of the January transfer window. 

The Rossoneri have been on the lookout for a new centre-forward given that Santiago Gimenez is the only ‘traditional’ no.9 in Massimiliano Allergi’s current ranks. Rafael Leao, Christian Pulisic, Christopher Nkunku and even Ruben Loftus-Cheek have appeared up front in Milan’s 3-5-2, but the first three have all had their fair share of injury and fitness concerns this season, while Gimenez is expected to be out of action for another few months. 

According to the latest updates, Milan and West Ham now have an agreement in place over a January deal for Fullkrug. The 32-year-old is expected to move to San Siro on an initial loan deal with an option to buy in the region of €11m-€13m. 

Will Fullkrug be allowed to play for Milan on January 2?

With an agreement already in place, and a medical likely to happen before Christmas, Fullkrug’s move to Milan is expected to go through right at the beginning of the transfer window, which officially opens on January 2 in Italy. 

Milan are due to play away against Cagliari on the evening of January 2, and it had originally been thought that Fullkrug would not be eligible to play. 

That is because there would not have been enough time for the documents and other formalities of his transfer to be processed in time for him to make his debut later on in the same day. 

However, according to updates from La Gazzetta dello Sport, the FIGC has now agreed to alter this rule to allow both Milan and Cagliari to sign players on January 2 and field them in their match on the same day. In order for this to happen, the paperwork must be processed by 16.00 CET (15.00 GMT) on January 2, which is four hours and 45 minutes before Cagliari vs. Milan is due to kick off. 

This is a matter of equal opportunity, given that Cagliari vs. Milan is the only Serie A match taking place on January 2, a Friday night. Had the rule not been amended, it would have meant that every other team in the league could have signed and registered a player on January 2, and then fielded them on January 3 or January 4, while Cagliari and Milan would not have been afforded the same chance. 

This means that if Fullkrug’s transfer to Milan goes through on January 2, he will now be eligible to play against Cagliari on the same day, Likewise, if Cagliari were to sign any new players on January 2, they would also be allowed to play against Milan.