Former FA Chair Greg Dyke said that the body should "stick to its guns."GETTY IMAGES
Premier League clubs "will fight FA plans" to make teams in the top tier ensure that at least half of their first-team squads are made up of "homegrown" players -- "but a number have indicated that they may be willing to agree a cut in the number of overseas players to secure a global free market for foreign talent after Brexit," according to Martyn Ziegler of the LONDON TIMES. The FA's proposal to increase the minimum number of homegrown players in a 25-man squad from eight to 13 "will be put to the clubs" on Thursday. If a deal is not agreed before Brexit, "it is likely that all EU players would have to pass the criteria" linked to int'l caps and wages that non-EU players have to fulfill at present. Former FA Chair Greg Dyke said on Tuesday that the governing body should "stick to its guns" and insist on a minimum of 13 homegrown players. Supporters of the proposal believe that "even losing five overseas players would barely affect most squads." Several club execs said that they believed that "a compromise figure" of 10 homegrown players "could be achieved in return for the FA removing the criteria." One Premier League club chair, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, "Clubs are just not going to agree to go from being allowed 17 overseas players to 12, that is just too drastic. Many clubs will feel the same quality of homegrown players as overseas is not available at the moment." Another club CEO pointed out that the FA's proposal "had merits in that it would stop European clubs putting a premium on EU players if non-internationals from Brazil and Argentina were made available for English clubs to sign." Another exec from one of the "big six" clubs believes that support will "depend on each club's reliance on overseas players and the strength of their academy." He said, "If you have a good academy, then this might be something you would support, but 13 homegrown players will be too many for the clubs to stomach" (LONDON TIMES, 11/14).
