Percentage Of Club-Trained Players In EPL Reaches New Low, CIES Study Finds

Research by the CIES Football Observatory indicates the percentage of club-trained players in Premier League squads "has reached a new low," according to the BBC. The study found 11.7% of top-flight players graduated from their club's academy, "down from 13.8% last year." Across 31 top European divisions the figure "has dropped below 20% for the first time since figures began" in '09. Study author Raffaele Poli said that clubs are "increasingly reluctant" to give chances to academy players. Overseas players account for 59.9% of Premier League footballers, "the second-highest figure in Europe behind Cyprus." That is higher than all other so-called "big-five" nations -- Italy (56.5%), Germany (45.9%), Spain (39.9%) and France (30.5%). In addition, 41.1% of Premier League players are internationals, "eclipsing 30.9% in Germany's Bundesliga and 19.9% in Spain's La Liga" (BBC, 11/10).