The transfer deadline day on Thursday will probably go down in Premier League history as the day on which England’s clubs were last allowed to acquire players as clubs of an EU member state. Brexit, scheduled for 31 October, is approaching, and with it the uncertainty of what consequences Britain’s EU withdrawal will have for the world’s most popular, financially strongest and strongest league.
As things stand at present, kickers from non-EU countries may normally only be brought to England after a certain number of international matches. If this regulation were to be applied to all states after the Brexit, the consequences would be serious, as access to emerging international professionals would be lost. For example, the French world champion Ngolo Kante, who became a star on the island, would not have made it into the Premier League in the first place.
Even Watford goalie Daniel Bachmann would not be transferable to England under these conditions, as the Viennese-born player is still waiting for his first international match. However, in England he is regarded as a “homegrown player” anyway, as he revealed in an interview with SOCCERSCORE.
As a professional with a working paper valid before the Brexit, however, he doesn’t have to fear any trouble any more than the other two Austrian Premier League professionals Sebastian Prödl and Christian Fuchs.
The latter sees no real danger for the Premier League in Britain’s EU farewell. “She’s a sanctuary in England, and she’s flushing a lot of money into the country. There will certainly be exceptions,” said the Lower Austrian, who has been committed to Leicester City since 2015, to the APA.
Prödl, who has been with Watford for four years, concurred with this opinion. “They will protect the Premier League, which is a huge economic factor in England.”
The two also agree on their basic attitude towards Brexit. Prödl commented: “This is difficult to understand, because Great Britain is not a country of production, but a service country.” Fuchs put it more drastically. “England has dug its own grave with it,” said the 33-year-old. “This is a bad decision. Many companies will suffer.”
The left-back has already felt the effects of the June 2016 vote against the EU. The direct flight Birmingham – New York was cancelled a few months after the vote, due to the imminent Brexit and the associated economic uncertainty.
Since Fuchs often travels to his family in New York or is visited by his wife and children in England, he decided to move from Leicester to London in order to spare himself and his relatives the hassle of travelling the island. Fuchs accepted the relatively long outward and return journey to the training sessions in Leicester.
Prödl, on the other hand, noticed changes in his personal environment over the past three years. “It strikes me that many non-English people are considering returning to the continent,” said the Styrian. “The worst is the uncertainty. No one can predict the consequences.”
After the developments of the past months, Prödl is now assuming a No-Deal-Brexit. “If the Brexit even comes. But who knows? There have been so many unexpected twists.”
A second referendum is not completely impossible for the central defender, but unrealistic – just like for Fuchs. “I don’t think they’re going to open that barrel,” Fuchs suspected. “But if there was a second vote, it would go against resigning because people are better informed now.”
