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Why the New Home-Grown Players Rule Won’t Affect Arsenal
By Nasra Osman
Earlier this year the FA announced that it would be increasing the number of home-grown players a team must contain in its 25-man squad for the upcoming season. Premier League teams were previously required to include eight players in their squad who have trained for three years at an English or Welsh club before their 21st birthday. The new regulations call for the inclusion of twelve home-grown players who have trained at an English or Welsh club prior to their 18th birthday. In other words, a player must have been training with a team since the age of 15.
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The new rules have left a host of Premier League teams scrambling to make up the numbers in order to make sure that they comply with the guidelines.
However, Arsenal is one team that need not worry.
Currently, Arsenal boasts seven home-grown players in their squad. Despite currently being of home-grown status, Francis Coquelin, Damian Martinez and Wojciech Szczesny will no longer be considered eligible under the new regulations, as they have not been with the club since the age of 15. This means that the number of home-grown players that Arsenal possesses would go down to just five.
Nonetheless, they would still be largely unaffected, and for good reason. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Gedion Zelalem, Calum Chambers, Serge Gnabry and Hector Bellerin will all be eligible for home-grown status by the time the new regulations come into effect in 2016. With a total of 10 qualified players, Arsenal would only have to find two more additions in order to fill their home-grown players quota. This shouldn’t be a problem, as the club could always elect to bring up a player or two from the academy in order to make up the numbers.
Unlike Arsenal, other Premier League teams will not have it so easy when it come to abiding by the increase. Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City will be the teams that are most affected by the new regulations. The lack of home-grown players possessed by the three aforementioned clubs is a perfect example of a league that is saturated by foreign players. So much so that it is no wonder why the FA is making such moves to improve the English national team’s prospects.
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Chelsea and Manchester City currently only have three home-grown players in their squad, while Liverpool have five. The Merseyside club’s situation is particularly interesting, given the fact that they could lose want away striker Raheem Sterling, who is qualified under the new set of rules.
Given the potentially problematic situation some clubs may find themselves in, Arsenal will consider themselves to be quite prepared to meet the new criteria. It almost makes one wonder if manager Arsene Wenger anticipated such changes, and thus built the “British Core” as it has come to be known.
Evidently, one can only speculate this theory. However, it doesn’t seem to be coincidental, at least it doesn’t personally. But whatever the case may be, Arsenal won’t be one of the teams that will be taking part in panic buys anytime soon.
Next: Arsenal just needing consistency?