PL & FA toallow clubs to sign between two and four players who are ineligible for work permits under the current rules?

[davieG]

How 'radical' new transfer plan could save Leicester City millions
Latest Leicester City transfer news from LeicestershireLive as a new FA plan is close to approval which could see City make up to four unexpected signings

ByLuke PawleyMidlands Football Writer
14:52, 20 MAY 2023

Leicester City stand to benefit from a "radical" new FA plan on the verge of approval.

Premier League and EFL teams are reportedly "close to approving" a plan that would allow clubs to sign between two and four players who are ineligible for work permits under the current rules.

The trade-off is that clubs can fill these "special contribution" slots if they give a certain level of game time to English-qualified players. That will allow clubs to cast their net wider in the transfer market, in countries and leagues they might otherwise ignore.

 

Once the clubs approve the plan, the FA will present it to the Home Office for consideration. It is hoped to then be in place in time for the summer transfer window, according to The Times.

If clubs give English-qualified players 35% or more playing time, they will be allowed four "special contribution" players. Between 30-35% playing time will allow for three players, with two slots for anything below that.

This could be particularly beneficial to Leicester City if relegation to the Championship is confirmed. It would allow them to register striker Nathan Opoku, who is already on the books and on loan at Oud-Heverlee Leuven.

The 21-year-old, signed from Syracuse University in January, has already recorded three goals and one assist in seven Belgian Pro League appearances. The plan was for him to play for Leuven until he could obtain a work permit, but a place in the Leicester team could now be up for grabs under the proposed new rules.

Another player set to benefit is Thailand striker Suphanat Mueanta. The 20-year-old is set to join Leicester from Buriram United this summer, and the plan is to immediately loan him to Leuven.

Though if he were to join Leicester as a "special contribution" player, he could go into the team's Championship squad - perhaps via the under-21s.

The highly-rated Mueanta has eight goals and 10 assists in 30 Thai Premier League games this season. Leicester have been tracking him for a number of years, and he has trained with the club on multiple occasions.

Aside from these two players, the plans could open up new transfer markets for Leicester to operate it, ones that would otherwise be closed to them because of Brexit rules and regulations.

[Ric Flair]

This is the greatest piece of news I've read in 2023.

[StanSP]

4 hours ago, Ric Flair said:

This is the greatest piece of news I've read in 2023.

Bigger (and better) clubs will benefit even more from this than us, I feel.

 

It does give us more of an opportunity to find a 'gem' though.

[moore_94]

Opoku gonna score 20 goals for us in the Championship next season 

[Ric Flair]

22 minutes ago, StanSP said:

Bigger (and better) clubs will benefit even more from this than us, I feel.

 

It does give us more of an opportunity to find a 'gem' though.

Maybe but there has been a disadvantage to EFL clubs who find it harder and harder to recruit from overseas. They are more likely to recruit from Scandinavia or 2nd divisions in top 5 European leagues etc than PL clubs will.

[davieG]

29 minutes ago, StanSP said:

Bigger (and better) clubs will benefit even more from this than us, I feel.

 

It does give us more of an opportunity to find a 'gem' though.

They have to satisfy the game time home grown and are less likely to be in the market for players who can’t get work permits

[sacreblueits442]

10 hours ago, StanSP said:

Bigger (and better) clubs will benefit even more from this than us, I feel.

 

It does give us more of an opportunity to find a 'gem' though.

...totally spot on, this is all relative, we do not get a jump start from this!!!

This will all come back to having someone at the helm, capable of bringing these players in, just how confident are we that Rudkin will be able to take advantage of this?

 We should have been looking into these markets previously, it was always going to be the preferred destination (South America) to bring in talent, but due to Brexit, we are going to find ourselves pretty much back of the queue with this.

[Gamble92]

On 21/05/2023 at 10:27, Ric Flair said:

This is the greatest piece of news I've read in 2023.

Because you play Football Manager?

[TrentFox]

Unless you are Everton or Man City - in which case, you’re allowed 12 such players. No questions asked. 

[Ryy]

I got told by someone quite reliable we want Ilyes Housni on loan from PSG

 

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/ilyes-housni/profil/spieler/825437

 

 

[lfu]

 

[StriderHiryu]

4 minutes ago, lfu said:

 

I think we are going to sign Dario Osorio. Under previous rules it would have been tricky to get him, but now with this news we could play right away. That's assuming other clubs don't have the same idea.

 

Brighton have exploited South America over the past 3 years with some amazing signings. There will be a flood of South American players coming over to the league now. 

[kingfox]

20 minutes ago, lfu said:

 

This will be @Ric Flair favourite news story of the year.

 

#WelcomeJulianVonMoos

[Jaspa]

Inb4 we bring in 4 Thai lads with a combined weight of a jam rolly polly

[Tommy Fresh]

26 minutes ago, StriderHiryu said:

I think we are going to sign Dario Osorio. Under previous rules it would have been tricky to get him, but now with this news we could play right away. That's assuming other clubs don't have the same idea.

 

Brighton have exploited South America over the past 3 years with some amazing signings. There will be a flood of South American players coming over to the league now. 

With the amount of teams from each country that make continental competitions I don't think it would actually be that hard currently anyway. 

[Ryy]

35 minutes ago, lfu said:

 

 

[LVFox]

Time to unleash Opoku

[Dan LCFC]

That's only further enforcing my idea we should go for Hutter.

[Ric Flair]

This is music to my ears. Opoku and Mueanta plus a couple of others.

[Ryy]

2 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

This is music to my ears. Opoku and Mueanta plus a couple of others.

Don’t think Mueanta is ready needs a season at OHL

[Bluearmyfox28]

7 hours ago, Ric Flair said:

This is music to my ears. Opoku and Mueanta plus a couple of others.

Give me a breakdown on Mueanta Ric…. Know nothing of the lad, right down to his position! 

[Ric Flair]

5 hours ago, Bluearmyfox28 said:

Give me a breakdown on Mueanta Ric…. Know nothing of the lad, right down to his position! 

I don't know much about him either. Although this has been written about him recently.

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://footballtalentscout.net/2023/06/07/suphanat-mueanta-the-first-thai-wonderkid-by-haydn-chapman-taylor/&ved=2ahUKEwiLluvS1MT_AhUUh1wKHaeCAEsQFnoECFkQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0_JQmwcQd2v9g5XmV7F-Ho

 

[Ric Flair]

@moore_94

 

Any ideas how this works? For example if clubs are allowed a maximum of 4 that didn't qualify for a work permit, is that until 1 or more is sold or can others be added to the squad once 1 or more qualifies for a work permit?

 

E.G if Opoku went on loan again this season and came back for the 2024/25 season he'd qualify and therefore not count in our quota? 

 

If its not and you have to sell them, I can see a right money making situation with the elite clubs.

[moore_94]

1 hour ago, Ric Flair said:

@moore_94

 

Any ideas how this works? For example if clubs are allowed a maximum of 4 that didn't qualify for a work permit, is that until 1 or more is sold or can others be added to the squad once 1 or more qualifies for a work permit?

 

E.G if Opoku went on loan again this season and came back for the 2024/25 season he'd qualify and therefore not count in our quota? 

 

If its not and you have to sell them, I can see a right money making situation with the elite clubs.

So at any one time you can only have 4 ESC players total - ESC is the term given to these players, it stands for Elite Significant Contribution player

 

Even if that ESC player is out on loan, they still occupy an ESC spot at the parent club, so for example Opoku would still count towards our limit of 4 even if he is out on loan at Leuven

 

12 months after a player is granted to be an ESC, we can then apply to transition them to a non-ESC player and get them an actual work permit, after which that ESC spot would open up again

 

We could have Opoku here next season or at Leuven, he smashes it and plays regularly for us, he then gets a work permit next summer and we can sign someone else to take his freed up ESC spot

Edited 23 June 2023 by moore_94

[kingfox]

42 minutes ago, moore_94 said:

So at any one time you can only have 4 ESC players total - ESC is the term given to these players, it stands for Elite Significant Contribution player

 

Even if that ESC player is out on loan, they still occupy an ESC spot at the parent club, so for example Opoku would still count towards our limit of 4 even if he is out on loan at Leuven

 

12 months after a player is granted to be an ESC, we can then apply to transition them to a non-ESC player and get them an actual work permit, after which that ESC spot would open up again

 

We could have Opoku here next season or at Leuven, he smashes it and plays regularly for us, he then gets a work permit next summer and we can sign someone else to take his freed up ESC spot

Do you have an idea on how many ESC players we would be entitled to?

 

Would it be the max of four or two-three?