Premier League Fights to Retain Playing Talent After Brexit
- League says it wants an open system for football immigrants
- Pound slide cost clubs $138 million, anti-Brexit group says
This article is for subscribers only.
England’s soccer clubs already face higher costs for star players because of the pound’s plunge since the U.K. voted to leave the European Union. The bigger financial threat to the Premier League from Brexit, though, lies in tighter immigration rules sought by Theresa May’s government.
The league has the most lucrative broadcast deal of any European competition, thanks to the global audience for the matches of Manchester United, Chelsea and other marquee clubs. It also boasts the highest percentage of foreign players, at around 65 percent, of all the European leagues.