Changes to the Football Association’s visa rules for overseas players that will be introduced following Britain’s exit from the European Union are set to have a significant effect on the recruitment strategies of English clubs.
The new criteria will lead to an increase in the number of players arriving in the Premier League and EFL from non-EU nations and in particular from South America, according to player recruitment experts working in the region.
With the end of freedom of movement in the UK for EU citizens, British clubs will no longer be able to sign players from EU countries freely. The FA sees this as a chance to promote home-grown talent, but also recognises that the competitiveness and appeal of the Premier League is in great part fuelled by foreign stars. As such, it revealed a new set of visa rules on 1 December to allow clubs to continue signing the best players from abroad.
While these rules restrict access to some lesser European leagues, they will make it easier to sign players from markets that were previously inaccessible. Christopher Blair, a Brazil-based intermediary and founder of Blair Sports Management, tells i: “There will now be a vacuum where less established EU players once were. This will either need to be filled by talented Brits or by another group of players… [which] might leave the door open for South Americans.”
The new framework will entail visa recommendations the FA issues to the Home Office, known as governing body endorsements, being awarded on a points basis. Points will be given to players depending on youth and senior international caps, the quality of the league and continental competitions in which their current club plays, and the percentage of total minutes they play for club and country.
European targets for the wealthiest Premier League clubs will mostly qualify automatically for a governing body endorsement, as they are likely to be playing in a top European league and will often be regulars for their national team. But clubs at the bottom end of the Premier League and in the Championship that previously looked for good-value options in Central Europe, Scandinavia or the second divisions of France, Spain or Germany may be forced to change tack – and South America is now a viable option.
The Brazilian, Argentinian and Colombian leagues, as well as South America’s continental club competitions – the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana – have been awarded a relatively high points status under the new rules, as has the U20 Copa Libertadores and the U20 and U17 South American national team championships.
For players able to accumulate points from appearances in a combination of these competitions, a governing body endorsement will be relatively easy to obtain. And with transfer fees demanded by South American clubs lower than those required to buy from top European leagues, there is value to be found.
According to Malle Koido, managing director of Sporting11 and an FA-registered intermediary who represents UK clubs in transfer negotiations, the new criteria present clubs with “more opportunities than challenges”.
Koido says: “Clubs [lower] in the Premier League, and larger, well-run Championship clubs are always looking for value. Looking at innovative teams such as Brighton or Brentford, who rely on a global knowledge network, I would be surprised if they wouldn’t start signing players directly from outside Europe, particularly Latin America.
“The number of calls from both clubs and agents to discuss particular non-EU markets over the last few weeks certainly indicates growing appetite to explore these options.”
Simon Edwards, the Colombia-based head of scouting and player recruitment, Latin America, for David Villa’s agency DV7, agrees. Because of the new rules, he says, “there is a lot more interest”.
“[English] clubs always wanted some names to keep track of but… there were so few players eligible for the work permit who also had the required level and were within budget. The few players who met those requirements would be wanted by the biggest Champions League clubs. The requirements are so much lower now, particularly for U20 [national team] players. Any club that is willing to go an unconventional route is looking at this very seriously.”
Edwards believes there may be opportunities available for those even further down the ladder.
“League One sides can sign U20 internationals from all South American nations apart from Brazil and Argentina,” he says. “There will still be hesitancy, but there are five or six Venezuelan U20 internationals, for example, who would be available for less than £150,000 and accept an offer well within League One wage budgets.”
Sao Paulo-based intermediary Blair adds: “The appeal of South America is in price plus a certain level of romance. The reality is that South America is producing all sorts of players these days, not just tricky wingers, but I would think the excitement of a League One team signing a Brazilian would surpass that of a Central European.”
Even for clubs with the financial might to sign established players from top European leagues, the new rules present fresh opportunities.
According to Koido, top English sides are now freer to make “investments in young players with high future potential, competing with the likes of Ajax, Red Bull or Porto for the best non-EU talent”.
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