Britain’s exit from the European Union is set to have a big impact of the youth recruitment policy of Everton and Liverpool .
The two Merseyside clubs have been warned they could now end up missing out to continental sides in the battle to land young Euro talent.
A top sports lawyer has claimed that Brexit will see an end to the Reds and Blues cherry-picking under-18s talent from clubs on the continent.
Carol Couse, of law firm Mills and Reeve – noted for their work in sport – says leaving the EU will have a profound effect on youth recruitment.
Fifa rules forbid clubs from signing players from other countries until they are 18, but an exception is that players can move freely within the European Union at the age of 16.
That rule – article 19 – will now not apply to UK clubs meaning young European talent will be subject to the same work permits rules as those outside the EU.
Without it Everton would not have been able to sign young stars like Mateusz Hewelt, Shkodran Mustafi , Francisco Junior, or highly rated current u-18s striker Miko Virtanen, who is from Finland and joined the academy aged 16.
While the Reds would have been denied the chance to pick up exciting talents like Sergi Canos , Pedro Chirivella, or Suso.
Says Ms Couse: “The Article 19 exemption is fundamental to how UK clubs acquire young talented and cost-effective players.
“Investing heavily in talented under-18 players is the ultimate low-risk, high-reward strategy.
“Given the low cost of acquisition and the amount of money it would cost to acquire a high-calibre player on the transfer market, a club needs only a very small percentage of young players to develop into a successful professional footballer in order to see a positive return on its investment.
“Naturally, losing the Article 19 exception would have adverse consequences for UK clubs. It is crucial for clubs to sign talented players they have identified at the earliest possible occasion, so as to limit their acquisition costs and boost their profits in the event of a subsequent sale of a young talent they have developed.”
If the UK joined the European Economic Area – which would mean signing up to many EU agreements – article 19 could still apply.
Some argue a restriction on young European players gives a welcome boost to young British hopefuls in the UK system.
But Ms Couse claims Brexit hands back the advantage in youth recruitment to clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Leaving the EU could also affect the signing of senior players, although Everton and Liverpool are less likely to be affected by that than smaller clubs.
Brexit will restrict UK footballers from freely moving to European clubs and, more significantly, place new restrictions on incoming transfers.
Top international players would not be affected, as Ms Couse says it would be “unfathomable” that such players would not receive the clearance from the FA required to get a work permit.
Players currently playing in the UK are unlikely to be affected until their current contract expires, but at that point they may need to re-apply for a work permit.
