Dyche backs FA proposal on quota of foreign stars

Sean Dyche would be a supporter of new quotas for homegrown players in the event of Brexit, despite the Premier League's opposition to the FA's proposal.
Burnley manager Sean Dyche 

Photographer Rob Newell/CameraSport

The Premier League - West Ham United v Burnley - Saturday 3rd November 2018 - London Stadium - London

World Copyright © 2018 CameraSport. All rights reserved. 43 Linden Ave. Countesthorpe. Leicester. England. LE8 5PG - Tel: +44 (0) 116 277 4147 - admin@camerasport.com - www.camerasport.comBurnley manager Sean Dyche 

Photographer Rob Newell/CameraSport

The Premier League - West Ham United v Burnley - Saturday 3rd November 2018 - London Stadium - London

World Copyright © 2018 CameraSport. All rights reserved. 43 Linden Ave. Countesthorpe. Leicester. England. LE8 5PG - Tel: +44 (0) 116 277 4147 - admin@camerasport.com - www.camerasport.com
Burnley manager Sean Dyche Photographer Rob Newell/CameraSport The Premier League - West Ham United v Burnley - Saturday 3rd November 2018 - London Stadium - London World Copyright © 2018 CameraSport. All rights reserved. 43 Linden Ave. Countesthorpe. Leicester. England. LE8 5PG - Tel: +44 (0) 116 277 4147 - [email protected] - www.camerasport.com

The Premier League believe there is “no evidence” proposals to reduce the number of permitted non-homegrown players in the 25-man squads from 17 to 13 – even if the United Kingdom does not leave the European Union – would have a positive impact on the England team’s results.

Burnley would be one of the club’s less affected by the proposals, but Dyche fails to see why the quota being reduced wouldn’t aid the national side.

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The last three World Cup winners France, Germany and Spain have had firmer regulations.

La Liga permits up to three players per team from outside the European Union, the Bundesliga requires a minimum of eight players must have played for the club in three seasons each before turning 25, and at least four more must have done the same at any German club.

And France’s Ligue 1 allow only four foreign players to be on the pitch at any one time.

Dyche has typically invested in British and Irish talent, although he also has Steven Defour (Belgium), Johann Berg Gudmundsson (Iceland), Matej Vydra (Czech Republic) and Chris Wood (New Zealand) currently in the squad as well.

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Asked whether tougher restrictions on the quota would affect Burnley, Dyche said: “No, quite obviously. We are a British-based side apart from Steven, Johann...

“Joking apart, if Brexit does rule, there is some thinking about how the FA would govern the number of foreign players etc, etc.

“That would be an easy situation for us, at the moment.

“We are looking to change in the future over time, but that’s a different thing.

“At the moment we would be in good shape for any quota that is put down.”

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But Dyche is a passionate supporter of the national side - and has seen Tom Heaton, Michael Keane, Jack Cork, James Tarkowski and Nick Pope capped in his time in charge at Burnley.

And he feels the quota would benefit England: “I think it’s helpful. It is not rocket science by the way. If you just use England because I’m English, the more English players who are playing at the highest level of football, or any sport for that matter, the better chance you have of success.

“You can train all you want but the real moment of truth is when you compete.

“Whether that is an individual sport, whether it is a team sport, whether it is against opposition, or against others. The more you’re doing it the more chance you have got of becoming an elite level performer.

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“The more English players playing at the top level, there is an increased chance of those players learning, improving and getting better, and therefore a bigger pool of more skilled players for the national side to pick from.

“My era was Bobby Robson really, think of the number of players he could pick from then? It would be a real tough job then.

“I don’t know how many it is now.

Is it about 60? Is it 33 per cent?

“I read a report, one of the better ones, that suggested there are about 60 players who are your main recognised players that you would say ‘yeah he would be in the pot, he would be in the pot’.

“When you look at Bobby Robson in 1990, I bet there were a lot more than 60.

“I don’t know how it will pan out.

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“Usually when you make the decision there is some lawyer who says you can’t do this, you can’t do that. Brexit would make it ‘that’s it, they’re the rules’ depending on which way Brexit goes.

Don’t get me started on that. I don’t know enough about it!”

England boss Gareth Southgate had suggested last month that the FA should work with Premier League clubs to improve the pathway from their academies to the first team rather than attempting to increase the number of homegrown players.

He said: “Clearly there are some pinch-points now with Brexit and how that may affect things.

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“Last week we were below 28% English players but most of the data I have seen suggests quotas on squads would not make a difference because you could still field a team outside the base of British players.”