FA ‘fear relaxing rules on foreign players would have a NEGATIVE effect on the England team’

The Football Association is reportedly wary of relaxing its rules around Premier League sides signing foreign players over fears it would negatively impact the England team.

Following the ratification of Brexit, rules around buying overseas players became stricter, making life more difficult in the transfer market.

The current rules on Premier League clubs signing players from abroad were put in place in January 2021 following Britain’s departure from the European Union, which saw the Governing Body Endorsement (GBE) system introduced by the FA.

The Times now report that while Premier League teams want to see the stance softened, there are fears inside the FA of the knock-on effect for Gareth Southgate‘s England team. 

The report adds that data on the number of English players starting in the Premier League each week has ‘alarmed’ the FA.

It is claimed that the governing body has been alarmed by statistics that the number of England-qualified players starting Premier League matches has dropped to 33 per cent from 35 per cent two seasons ago and 38 per cent a decade ago. 

 Premier League sides produced a record spend in the summer transfer window, with Antony one of the biggest arrivals (pictured right, signing for Manchester United)

 The FA (pictured, CEO Mark Bullingham) are reportedly wary of relaxing rules around signing foreign players due to the potential knock-on effect for the England national team 

There is a Premier League shareholders’ meeting on Tuesday and the issue around the signing of foreign players is likely to be discussed. 

Following a record-breaking spend in the summer transfer window, there is little surprise clubs want to see rules relaxed. 

The Premier League has established itself as the most lucrative league in world football but the FA will be keen to ensure they do as much as they can to increase opportunities for English-qualified players.   

The number of English-qualified players starting in the Premier League is down to 33 per cent

As they are post-Brexit, rules dictate that clubs are no longer able to recruit foreign footballers under the age of 18. 

English clubs also need to meet a GBE criteria before being granted clearance to complete a transfer. 

A GBE is relatively easily obtained for a regular international or a star player at a top club, but other players need to accumulate 15 points or more, based on a scoring system, which takes account of the quality of the league and competitions they are playing in. 

Should the necessary 15 points be met, the price of the player involved in the deal will inevitably go up as a result.

The stricter rules on foreign players saw Fulham miss out on Justin Kluivert, now of Valencia

Fulham missed out on signing Justin Kluivert from Roma, now at Valencia, due to the stricter rules. 

Under this points system, leagues around the world are placed into bands and players performing in the higher bands can claim more points. Brazil, Mexico and Argentina’s top leagues have been placed in band three, improving the chances of those players meeting the required standard. 

However, this also poses a challenge for clubs wanting to invest in players from lower European leagues such as Bundesliga 2 in Germany, or Ligue 2 in France.

Of the eye-watering £1.9billion spent by Premier League clubs this summer, 62 per cent of that money ended up outside the English system with much of it inflated by a restricted talent pool, further depriving lower league sides of money.