Manchester United and Manchester City have been handed a huge boost for the summer transfer window with Premier League sides now able to sign up to four overseas players per season who do not meet the current points requirements of the international visa system.
The rules, which also apply to Championship sides, come into effect for this summer’s transfer window - just in time for City and United to make fresh additions to their squads. According to the FA, the change "provides additional access to exceptional international talent that does not meet the current GBE criteria".
The criteria include a player's number of minutes played in the domestic league and the number of international appearances they have made. All players from EU nations must obtain a GBE (Governing Body Endorsement) in order to play in England since the United Kingdom departed the EU in 2020.
Following Brexit, teams have also been forced to wait until a player turns 18, instead of the previous age of 16, before signing them. Premier League chief executive Richard Masters told the Financial Times Business of Football Summit in March that those two issues had forced clubs to pursue more established and expensive players and contributed to increased spending in the January transfer window.
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The FA said the Premier League and EFL had “committed to work with the FA on improving the pathway for talented English youngsters” as part of the new agreement. The outcomes of both the changes to the GBE system and the improvements to the pathway will be kept under review.
The FA said if both are found to be working successfully then it is possible the number of overseas players a club can sign who do not meet the regular GBE criteria could increase further.
FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said: “As English football’s governing body, we oversee the whole football ecosystem, and we wanted to create a new model which would meet the different objectives of our football stakeholders.
“We worked closely with the clubs and the leagues, and have designed a progressive solution which will give clubs additional access to international talent and incentivise playing opportunities for English talent.”
As part of the new rules, clubs in Leagues One and Two will be able to sign up to two overseas players per season who do not meet the regular GBE criteria, which have been approved by the Home Office.
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