Six players in limbo after squad exclusions including Sheffield Wednesday, Aston Villa, Leeds United and Chelsea men

It is not uncommon for unwanted players to still be on the books of the club they are surplus to requirements at following the closure of the window.

This can create awkward situations, where a player is stuck in limbo until a resolution can be found.

When clubs submit their squad lists for the first half of the season, the awkward nature of these situations is laid bare.

If a player over the age of 21 is not registered as part of a club's squad list, they are unable to feature in the league until the January transfer window.

The situation midfielder Lewis O'Brien found himself in last season is an example of how ruthless this rule can be for out-of-favour players.

He was not registered in Nottingham Forest’s Premier League squad for the second half of the season. When a loan move to Blackburn Rovers fell through and the window slammed shut, he was left unable to play for Forest or seal a move to the Championship.

Fortunately for O’Brien, he was not left out in the cold for too long as DC United were able to take him on loan due to the MLS window being open.

With clubs now having submitted their squads for the first half of the current campaign, here are six players excluded who did not feature on their club’s list.

Helder Costa

Once a regular fixture at Leeds United, the Angola international is no longer in the picture at Elland Road. He has spent two seasons out on loan but did not secure another move away from West Yorkshire during the summer window.

He has been seen training at Thorp Arch but is reportedly not working under Daniel Farke, instead training with the under-21s.

Marvin Johnson

The 32-year-old was one of Darren Moore’s most trusted lieutenants at Sheffield Wednesday but has been cast aside by Moore’s successor Xisco Munoz.

He was linked with Derby County in the late stages of the summer window but a move did not materialise, leaving him out in the cold in S6.

Kortney Hause

The 28-year-old has made 55 appearances for Aston Villa since arriving at the club in 2019. However, he will not be adding to his league outings tally anytime soon having been left out of Villa’s Premier League squad.

Malang Sarr

Sarr has age on his side at just 24 but his future does not appear to be at Chelsea. The former France under-21 international has played the bulk of his football out on loan in recent years and his name was missing when Chelsea’s squad was announced.

Harry Arter

The midfielder has made just 14 appearances for Nottingham Forest since joining the club in 2020. He has had loan spells away from the City Ground, one of which was at Notts County, but has not sealed a permanent exit.

Ethan Horvath

Arter’s exclusion from the Forest list was hardly a surprise, but the decision not to include Horvath was slightly more newsworthy. A senior USA international, the goalkeeper helped Luton Town clinch promotion to the Premier League last season while on loan at Kenilworth Road.

Forest boss Steve Cooper has picked Matt Turner, Odysseas Vlachodimos and Wayne Hennessey as his goalkeeping options.