KEIR RADNEDGE REPORTING —- Bad news for European clubs: the United Kingdom’s exit from European Union rules at 11pm GMT on December 31 will make little difference to Premier League clubs’ buying power.

The TV money will still be in place along with a new system of work permits agreed by the government, the Football Association, the Premier League and the Football League (lower three tiers) for the new era.

But the future will be very different for clubs further down the league pyramid and the multitude of journeymen continental footballers who have earned a far better living in the Football League that they could have expected in Germany, France, Netherlands etc.

One of the prices of Brexit will be more red tape.

The two flags of . . . inconvenience

Clubs will no longer be able to sign EU players freely so a points system is being to place for all overseas players to gain an automatic governing body endorsement (GBE).

Those points will depend on international senior and under-21 appearances and domestic appearances, which vary according to the world ranking of the country and league.

As now, special permission can be sought for players not covered by these criteria.

Levelling up 

A joint statement explains: “The system meets the joint objectives of the Premier League and the FA allowing access to the best players and future talent for clubs, as well as safeguarding England teams, by ensuring opportunities for homegrown players.”

One effect will be to make it easier for clubs to sign players from South America, Asia and Africa albeit a little more difficult from Europe. This is likely to affect clubs in the lower three tiers more than the Premier League.

Perhaps more significant will be a new limit on the number of 18 to 21-year-olds a club can sign in one a season. Premier League clubs can sign no more than three overseas players under 21 in any single transfer window and a total of no more than six per season.

This is seen by the FA as a means to encourage clubs to produce more homegrown talent. One consequence will see clubs with nursery teams in continental Europe using them more regularly to sign promising teenagers.

The new system will also impact on the importation of foreign managers and coaches. They must have worked for three out of the previous five years in what is described as a “top league” — that covers 33 of the world’s main leagues.

This means foreign managers can no longer bring a full-scale team of assistants with them.

Indeed, if these rules had been in place two years ago Manchester United would have had to seek special permission to appoint Ole Gunnar Solskjaer since Norway does not figure in the 33.

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