‘Theyre looking in places they werent before’ – How Brexit has affected academy recruitment – The Athletic

There was a time, not so long ago, when the Premier Leagues biggest clubs were able to scour every corner of Europe for the continents best emerging talents.

Nowhere was off-limits. They are the great white sharks of football, said Feyenoords technical director Leo Beenhakker after Chelsea had successfully landed a 15-year-old Nathan Ake for the meagre sum of 230,000 in 2010.

Only now, in this post-Brexit age, the sharks find themselves all penned in.

The United Kingdoms formal withdrawal from the European Union (EU) at the end of 2020 brought new entry requirements for all overseas players and, just as importantly, called time on a long-running pursuit of the continents best under-18s.

The game was up and, almost overnight, youth recruitment in the Premier League was forced to evolve.

English clubs, big and small, now find themselves limited to domestic additions at youth-team level and an already fierce competition to find the best youngsters has intensified. Scouting networks are being bolstered and new markets explored.

Manchester City saw fit to spend a reported 400,000 to sign a 13-year-old Leke Drake from League Two club Stevenage this summer, while

Read the rest here:

'Theyre looking in places they werent before' - How Brexit has affected academy recruitment - The Athletic