Every summer, across the entire length and breadth of the terrain, English Premier League recruitment leaders find themselves tasked with gaining new players in an ever-challenging market.
Demanding players, wily agents and the impossible expectation of supporters make it an unenviable task.
These rules — initially introduced into English football in 2015 by then-FA chairman Greg Dyke — dictate clubs must include a certain number of homegrown players in their 25-man Premier League squad.
So, what do the rules say?
Which clubs flirt with a high quota limit – and how will this affect their transfer activity?
What are the Premier League homegrown rules?
Clubs are allowed a maximum number of 25 players in their Premier League squad.
This can be supplemented by an unlimited number of under-21s — it does not matter if they are a regular part of the club’s senior squad, or what their nationality is.
For example, Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli still counts as an Under-21 player in 2022-23 — and will not count against Arsenal’s homegrown player quota.
This is despite the fact that he played 57 Premier League matches for the club and scored 11 goals.
According to current rules, no more than 17 players in the Premier League squad can be non-homegrown, These players can be of any nationality or age.
The remaining members of the first-team squad must be homegrown.
What is a homegrown player?
It has a relatively simple definition.
For a player to be considered homegrown, they must have played for an FA-affiliated club for at least three years before turning 21. Importantly, they do not have to be English — players such as Paul Pogba and Hector Bellerin would all count as homegrown.
William Saliba is another interesting example. The France international, born in Paris, counts as a homegrown player because he has been on Arsenal’s books and listed in their Premier League squad for three seasons before his 21st birthday.
What if a team does not have enough homegrown players?
The rule is measured by the number of non-homegrown players, rather than the converse.
In practice, this means a club which does not have eight or more homegrown players is obliged to name a squad smaller than 25.
For example, Liverpool, who only had seven homegrown players last season, named a 24-man Premier League squad.
State of Premier League clubs’ squads
Club | Squad Size | Non-home Grown | Home Grown | Home Grown % |
 Arsenal | 17 | 12 | 5 | 29.4 |
 Aston Villa | 20 | 11 | 9 | 45.0 |
 Bournemouth | 22 | 4 | 18 | 81.8 |
 Brentford | 24 | 15 | 9 | 37.5 |
 Brighton | 20 | 11 | 9 | 45.0 |
 Chelsea | 25 | 16 | 9 | 36.0 |
 Crystal Palace | 23 | 11 | 12 | 52.2 |
 Everton | 25 | 12 | 13 | 52.0 |
 Fulham | 25 | 10 | 15 | 60.0 |
 Leeds United | 17 | 8 | 9 | 52.9 |
 Leicester City | 25 | 12 | 13 | 52.0 |
 Liverpool | 24 | 17 | 7 | 29.2 |
 Manchester City | 19 | 13 | 6 | 31.6 |
 Manchester United | 23 | 12 | 9 | 39.1 |
 Newcastle United | 25 | 10 | 15 | 60.0 |
 Nottingham Forest | 21 | 9 | 13 | 61.9 |
24 | 10 | 14 | 58.3 | |
 Tottenham Hotspur | 20 | 12 | 8 | 40.0 |
 West Ham | 23 | 14 | 9 | 39.1 |
 Wolves | 19 | 15 | 4 | 21.1 |
Liverpool had the largest number of the non-homegrown players in their squad, and were the only team in the league to reach the 17 player cap.
No ‘big six’ club has more than 40 per cent homegrown players, though Wolves have the lowest proportion, at only 21.1 per cent.
Understandably, newly promoted sides will be facing no issues. Bournemouth lead the way, with only four players not considered homegrown last season. Outside of the Championship graduates, Newcastle have the highest proportion of homegrown players with 60 per cent.
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