Leicester City left it late to complete the signing of Adrien Silva on deadline day and according to Fifa they were to late to register the player, by 14 seconds. That means although he has signed for Leicester he will be ineligible to play for them until January when the transfer window opens again.

The £22m midfielder completed his move from Sporting Lisbon but unless Leicester’s appeal is successful he will be watching from the sidelines for the next 4 months. The English FA have been in touch with Fifa and have agreed to help Leicester look for a solution.

Silva is a product of Sporting Lisbons Academy and made hsi way through the ranks before signing for Leicester. Leicester will be required to pay his wages as the contact with the player is agreed and signed.

This is just another example of Fifa treating English clubs with contempt and the fact that a talented player won’t be allowed to play football until January highlights the ridiculousness of the situation. A Leicester spokesman said: “We are working with Adrien and Sporting Clube de Portugal to overcome some issues relating to the player’s registration and exploring all options to find a resolution.”

Silva has 20 caps for Portugal and was part of the Euro 2016 winning squad. He replaces Danny Drinkwater who signed for Chelsea late on deadline day.