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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Only now, in this post-Brexit age, the sharks find themselves all penned in.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The game was up and, almost overnight, youth recruitment in the Premier League was forced to evolve.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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 <\/p>\n
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'Theyre looking in places they werent before' - How Brexit has affected academy recruitment - The Athletic<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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. Continue reading