GBE Criteria Update - Could Wanderers look abroad for new talent?

Ed discusses the new changes announced by the FA and the Home Office

---

It was announced yesterday (Wednesday 14th June) that new changes approved by the Home Office could have a big impact on how teams in the Premier League and EFL do business in the transfer market this season.

Usually when a team wants to sign a foreign player they have to obtain a work permit based on the Governing Body Endorsement criteria, where they have to hit a certain number of points to qualify to be able to play in the English Leagues. It takes certain factors into consideration, including the number of caps a player has & the FIFA ranking of the players country. What league the player is in also has a huge impact, with the higher divisions afforded a higher Band. Band 1 involves the Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1, whilst Band 5 has the likes of the Serbian SuperLiga, the Polish Ekstraklasa and the Slovenian PrvaLiga.

This rule remains in place for the most part, though the new announcement allows some flexibility for clubs in England. The new format, decided on after months of discussions between the Premier League, EFL and FA is as follows:

Depending on the division, clubs can sign between 2-4 players from abroad without the need to obtain a work permit and pass the GBE criteria. As Bolton Wanderers are in League One, they would be able to sign up to two foreign players without the worry of whether the player would be granted a work permit. Teams in the Premier League & Championship can sign up to four. It's all dependent on how many minutes homegrown players will play for each side too.

This rule could be a huge game changer for clubs like Wanderers who want to find the best talent without spending well beyond their means.

It opens up an entirely new wealth of talent available to Wanderers' budget. Chris Markham and Ian Evatt will have been hard at work scouting out new players to improve the team this Summer & with huge gaps to fill due to the absences of James Trafford and Conor Bradley, it's vital that we sign players with the quality to help push for promotion this upcoming season.

Be it the late 90s Scandinavian revolution, Big Sam looking to obscure nations or going to the Far East for up and coming stars like Chung-Yong Lee - Wanderers have had success in the past looking abroad for cheap talented players who went on to have great careers at the club. Even the scouting operation in Ireland with Eoin Doyle helping Wanderers find the brightest talents from the Emerald Isle, we could see something like that done a more global scale. There are plenty of talented players out there who would jump at the opportunity to prove themselves in England now this chance has presented itself.

Whether or not Markham and Evatt take advantage remains to be seen. But don't be surprised to see some hidden gems gracing the TSC Stadium soon.