Southgate has warned of a shortage of English players in the Premier League

If the English championship is now one of the most profitable in the world, mainly players of foreign origin shine there. This made England coach Gareth Southgate upset. The former Aston Villa coach wanted to be ironic after announcing that players had been called up for the matches against Italy (03/23) and Ukraine (03/26). “Maybe, soon, I’ll have to pick players from the Championship (English D2) or elsewhere“.

A humorous sentence for sure, but it reflects the problem facing the English exam. According to the latest figures from the BBC, only 32% of English players playing in the Premier League are eligible for selection. A significant drop in seasons, which the Three Lions coach knows all too well. “It did not progress. Yes, it is around 32% but it has come down from 35% when I took over or 38% in previous years. The map is clear“, Southgate worried.

Important transfer windows but few English players were recruited

Once again this winter, the Premier League spent the most in the transfer window with €923 million. But, as the England coach pointed out, 80% of the players recruited are foreigners. A situation that continues to worsen over seasons and transfer windows.

And this is a statistic confirmed at the European level. England are sixth in minutes played by eligible players in the Champions League this season. Far behind France, at the top of the rankings, are Germany, Spain, Portugal and even Brazil. A statistic that doesn’t please Gareth Southgate. “It is interesting that Brazil now have many players playing in C1, or at least more than we have.“