Premier League clubs looking to EFL for next Semenyo and Eze
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Manchester City signed 17-year-old Jeremy Monga from Leicester City for £12.5m last month, with Arsenal also having coveted the winger who became Leicester's second-youngest Premier League player at 15 years and 271 days in April 2025.
- BBC Sport research identified 14 players recruited from EFL or Scottish Premiership academies for Premier League development squads this summer, equal to the 14 such transfers across the entire 2025-26 season (there were 18 in 2023-24).
- The 18-year-old sweet spot: 11 of this summer's 14 recruits are 18, up from 5 of 14 last season, and League One supplied 7 of the 14 (up from 2 the previous season), showing clubs are zeroing in on a specific age and tier.
- The economics are low-risk: 9 of the 14 summer moves are listed as free transfers, with the other five for undisclosed fees — a spreading-the-bets model where only one prospect needs to become a Premier League regular to generate significant value.
- Brexit has reshaped the market: Analytics FC estimated the post-Brexit Governing Body Endorsement system cut the European talent pool eligible for UK work permits by roughly 92% (from about 60,000 to 5,000 players), making English-based teenagers who face no immigration obstacle more attractive.
- The Premier League has approached the EFL over potentially capping compensation when young players move between academies, as selling clubs currently receive training compensation, appearance-related payments, and sell-on entitlements, with unresolved cases going to the Professional Football Compensation Committee.
- CIES data for 2025-26 shows club-trained players accounted for 16.2% of Manchester City's Premier League minutes, 15.5% at Chelsea, and 12.5% at Brighton, but 0.1% at Tottenham and zero at Bournemouth, Brentford and Burnley — meaning EFL recruitment now serves as a later-stage development pipeline for clubs that didn't build one from childhood.
Why it matters: For Premier League clubs, spending freely on 18-year-old free transfers is a lottery-ticket play that costs little and only needs one hit. For EFL clubs, the same trend is existential: the Premier League is already negotiating to cap academy compensation while their best 18-year-olds are being poached before they generate a first-team transfer fee.
Ask SkimNews
