Your allowed 17 foreigners,with 2/3 Brits and 2/3 youngsters thats a strong enough squad The Home Grown rule is IRRELEVANT,look at how few Brits Chelski and Arsenal have and still have no problem with the rule I say get as many foreigners as you want.QUALITY IS WHAT COUNTS!!!!!
Since when has someones nationality been relevent to the players quality? Can you not remember Veron (Argentina), Roque Jr. (Brazil), Morientes (Spain), Taibi (Italy), Boumsong (France)? All played for top clubs in their career either before or after joining the premier league and all of them were absolute tosh
The most important thing you're forgetting though, is the ability of the team to gel. A strong English contingent is needed so that the players understand each other; the foreign players are usually added for flair or to add something different to the team. Rafa went wrong when he had the spanish contingent, as soon as Alonso left, Torres' attitude plummeted. With English players it'll much easier to fit in the youth players for one (they won't respond well to foreign senior players), players are less likely to leave because there aren't the same "home-sick" issues and there aren't any language barriers.
I can't find anything on FIFA or Google to say what the exact rule currently is. I know the 6+5 rule got dropped last year. There seems to be some confusion around it, like the FFP rules.
Your allowed 17 foreigners,8 brits above 21,and as many players brits under 21 as you like I actually think havin a squad of 20 is better than 25 ,as you play the same more team regularly
It is not just about having homegrown players to meet quotas, it is about cheap sustainable development. Take Kelly, cost you next to nothing so far, but if he continues to develop as he is what will he be worth in 2 or three years, £15-20M?, or Spearing, get him training with Steve Gerrard and he could be a quality holding midfielder for years, how much did Mascharno cost, £18m?? Or Whiltshire for Arsenal, or Henderson for Sunderland, or Jones for Blackburn........ To sign foreign players you have a transfer fee, huge agent fees, not much knowledge of personal lifes, then pay for housing, moving costs, visa advice, there family coming across, not to mention huge wages. QUALITY homegrown players are a must, Spearing, Kelly, Flannaghan, Robinson could all be worth serious money in a couple of years
The op has a point. these rules have been set up to make a show of doing something but in reality most clubs don't have 25 players or need that and to be frank you can have 8 hg easily. it is mooted but unlikely to occur uefa rules that concern the big clubs. cityhull is also right. if you can make a kelly then its far better than signing a jones... (just an example for you hotheads so shut up) however i must make one point. look at the england u21s.... every player fits the same mould, typical english athletes with some skil but not one of them have anything like what suarez has... no english player has had that for what 30 years? not even gazza.... so there you go, to be the best you need to sign true individual quality.
