At the start of December, the Premier League, the FA and the EFL issued a joint statement that detailed the requirements for English clubs to sign overseas players post Brexit.
Friday’s edition of AS has a lengthy report on the consequences of the new rules on transfer operations involving English sides. They have also managed to gather quotes from Leeds United director of football, Victor Orta.
He has shared his views on the pros and cons of Brexit on transfer business, and when discussing the latter, the Whites chief said, for example, it will be difficult for English clubs to sign relatively unknown players from Scandinavia.
Orta stressed clubs outside the top five leagues will find it difficult to sell players to Premier League or Championship clubs.
“Along the way, they are realising that there are situations that have to be rethought. For example, if you are a Real Madrid youth and you go to the first team bench or play for a few minutes, you add points to be able to come and, however, if you are an 18-year-old Norwegian who plays half the minutes in the first team, you cannot come,” he said.
According to AS, the Leeds director admitted he will have to ‘modify’ plans when signing players for Marcelo Bielsa’s side.
“Those who are most punished by the new rules are the clubs that are looking for young pearls that are still semi-unknown. Now the market is going to go directly to confirmed, established players,” Orta explained.
“It will be difficult to discover players in the French or Spanish second division. For example, Mahrez or Adama, now they would not come. In the market now, starting players will prevail in their clubs, who play European competitions and with their country.
“The first thing we have to do now as clubs is to know if the players we are following meet the requirements that are asked. There is already an application that does the calculation for you. Scouting rewards little.”
“It hurts the Championship and the mid-table clubs in the Premier League, for example Leeds. In addition to the Nordic countries, it has killed the second divisions.”
One of the positives of the new rules is that it allows clubs in England to sign players from outside Europe, particularly from South America.
“As a different perspective, it has opened a door to South America, preferably to Argentina and Brazil, which we did not look at before and now we will see if English clubs want to explore by having the same treatment as Europeans,” Orta stressed.
“They have acquired a new status. A new path opens up for us. The Copa Libertadores and the Sudamericana are equal in points to the Champions League and the Europa League.”
