Premier League clubs will have to significantly increase the number of British footballers in their official 25-man squads under plans being formulated in Brexit talks.
The specific figure has yet to be set but sources both at the Football Association and the Premier League — bitter adversaries in the past — confirm a growing consensus on the issue.
Clubs must have at least eight ‘home-grown’ players, although ‘home-grown’ currently includes foreign players who spent three years between 16 and 21 in England.
Under the plans taking shape, The Mail on Sunday can reveal the eight looks likely to rise to 10, and perhaps more, while ‘home-grown’ will mean players with a British passport.
The move will reshape the look of squads in England’s top flight, with some clubs needing radical alterations, not least Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City among the ‘Big Six’. That trio plus Huddersfield have the lowest number of British passport-holding players: Chelsea and Huddersfield with five each, Arsenal and City with six, and most used sparingly.
In order to persuade the Premier League to back higher quotas of British players, the FA are willing to support their call for the abolition of ‘quality criteria’ for any foreign player. In other words, the FA will back clubs signing any foreigner, from inside or outside Europe, with work permits guaranteed.
Neither the FA nor the Premier League will go on record to talk up the common ground but it seems the major item left for agreement is the number of Britons required per squad, with 10 to 12 the likely range. The Government will need to rubber-stamp any deal.
The number of Britons in the top flight has plunged in the Premier League era. The demise of opportunities for English players has been of most concern to the FA. In the inaugural Premier League season of 1992-93, almost 72 per cent of players were English. That is down to just 31 per cent now.
England manager Gareth Southgate has voiced his concern over the dwindling talent pool at his disposal; most observers would probably agree his team reached the World Cup semi-final despite the majority of foreign players in the top flight, not because of them.
The Premier League and the FA have been forced to take positions on this issue, and negotiate, since the Brexit referendum in 2016 means the Government rewriting employment legislation.
Sources close to the talks say that, at times, there have been ‘massive differences over work permit regulations and requirements.’
One senior former FA insider told the MoS that the FA wanted to use the Brexit negotiations to achieve a formal aim of the FA, stated in 2014, of reaching 45 per cent English players in the Premier League by 2022.
Another senior source, still at the FA and involved in Brexit negotiations, has revealed the 45 per cent target from 2014 has actually been abandoned and the ‘new reality’ of negotiations centres on raising the number of British players in the Premier League above current levels. ‘This in practice will mean more English players,’ said the source.
A Premier League spokesman said the clubs’ access to talented players from a global pool ‘has played a key part in the growth of the Premier League, with match attendance and global interest increasing as high quality foreign players have taken their place in the competition with and against the best British and Irish players’.
An FA spokesman said: ‘We are continuing to work with the Premier League, EFL and a range of government departments during this consultation period.’
Our graphic shows how ‘Brexit ready’ the 20 PL clubs are, or how close they are to having 11 or 12 British players in their formal 25-man squads, and also shows what proportion of minutes have been played in the league this season by their English players.
Fans have divergent views, often based on the extent to which their club will be affected. Manchester City have the most expensive squad ever assembled in global football — and arguably the best quality squad in England. At first glance, it might appear a new rule requiring 10 or more Britons would damage them hugely, and arguments about damaging their competitiveness are being privately voiced by all the clubs with fewest Britons.
But in the event that clubs were required to have 11 Britons now, up from eight ‘home-growns’ under current rules, City would need to replace five foreigners and might not, in fact, be hugely weakened.
None of Eliaquim Mangala, Brahim Diaz, Claudio Gomes, Arijanet Muric or Nicolas Otamendi have played a single league minute this season, while City have England junior internationals Tosin Adarabioyo, Patrick Roberts, Lukas Nmecha and Brandon Barker and Wales’s Matt Smith on their books and thriving, on loan respectively at West Brom, Girona, Preston, Preston and Twente, eager for their chance.
Yussufkipolo
62
Alex Ox to Liverpool Gibs to West Brom.. Walcott to Everton Wilshere to West Ham and Jenkison (loaned several times)... Calum Chamber... on loan... Reis Nelson now is on loan
Kuzdeiklmz
59
very bogus. Britons feel they shld be the biggest in the world. they are stuck in the past. They are always finding excuses for failure.. Tell me wc club has won with an English as a key player? even english managers are so so. U can stay with your league after implementing that plan. Imagine playing woodburn and keita is on the bench.
Shadownet
58
This is what people don't understand. The league may belong to England, but from the above stats majority of the successful team use less of England players. Probably because they are not up to the task. England ain't got players with good chemistry.
Ferderick
51
I'm foreseeing the English premier league losing it prestige when this decision is taken. I don't think having 12 or even 20 English players on each of the 20 clubs in the English top flight will improve the league or the national team when those English players themselves are not performing. The problem with England national team is that, English players are not consistent in their performances, they are quick in dropping form. And even having majority of the English players playing in England is one of the contributing factors to English poor performances. Lack of outside experience and exposure is another one. I will like to recommend to the English government and FA to let their players to play out and compete with other players out there . I think by doing this will help them maintain their radon.[Chelsea][Asenal]