Slim pickings
England talent at all-time low
Gareth Southgate has hit out at Premier League clubs after the number of Englishmen who started matches last weekend dipped below a quarter of total players for the first time.
Of the 220 players in starting line-ups, only 54 were Englandqualified. It was the second time in successive weeks that an all-time low was reached.
The figure reflects a growing trend in the Premier League era. In 1992-93, of the overall number of minutes played, Englishmen accounted for 70 per cent. At the weekend, the figure was just 24.
The number of minutes played by Englishmen has dipped this season from 6,284 on the opening day (out of a possible 19,800) to 4,767 at the weekend. Southgate expressed particular frustration yesterday that young players were not receiving first-team opportunities. “Nobody can tell me that if players are good enough, they will come through,” Southgate said. “That is not true. There are plenty of players who are good enough.”
The Premier League has been on a collision course with the Football Association, which plans to impose a limit of 13 overseas players in the 25-man Premier League squads after Brexit. Each 25-man squad has a quota of eight home-grown players at present but, under the proposals, the number would increase to 12.
Southgate has refused to be drawn on whether he backs the quota, but launched an impassioned plea for clubs, leagues and the FA to work together to find a solution to ensure England can build on their recent success in the World Cup and Uefa Nations League.
“The quality of our academy system is very high, as good as anything in the world,” he said. “Around the country, lots of people in youth development are keen to get together and find a solution to that 17to-21 age bracket and how we get those players playing. Although we are in a position where we can lead some of those discussions, it is not a case that the clubs are not on the same page. They are very much looking at how to bridge that gap.”
England’s year of encouraging results showed that the issue of home-grown players in the domestic league is the one “missing piece that everybody is keen to resolve”, Southgate added. “For parents and boys entering academies, the very nature of it is that you expect there to be opportunity at the end.
“I go back to previous tournaments when we have reviewed everything that has gone on in English football. Many of those things are in the right place now, this is the missing piece that everybody is keen to resolve. All of the big clubs, whenever I visit them, are wrestling with this. If a lot of those players had a couple of years of first-team experience, it is a lot easier for their manager to select them. But that is a conundrum we have to solve.”
Southgate recognised the national team could benefit by more players resorting to playing abroad.
“I think we have seen evidence that being brave enough to go abroad can lead to a proper opportunity,” he said. “I think for England; young people brave enough to travel. It’s good for their development, for their maturity, so that’s something that people have noted and it will happen more and more.
“In terms of the quotas, we are in discussions. What’s clear is that we can’t allow the trend to continue as it is because at what point do we stop? Everybody saw the impact of the national team in the summer and I think it is a prerogative that, while we still want a competitive Premier League that brings a lot of focus into our country, it’s trying to find this missing piece.”
The FA has produced analysis showing that only 35 per cent of European players in the league at present would be eligible for a work permit if the criteria for a governing-body endorsement were applied to them as well as to non-eu players after Brexit.
Southgate added: “I think when you are a senior manager, you need evidence to convince you they are ready to take the next step. When the positions of so many managers is precarious and there isn’t longterm stability, I can understand why they are loath to risk. That’s why it’s important that we talk through how we bridge that gap.”
The Premier League is confident that the Government would seek to protect the rights of European players by granting an extended withdrawal process because of the potential damage of the loss of talent. The game employs 12,000 staff, attracts 700,000 visitors to the United Kingdom each season and generates £3.3billion in annual tax.