English Premier League Exports Damage National Team
The rise of the new cash-strapped leagues may pose a further threat to the English national team. This is because increasingly players are leaving to China, or to Saudi Arabia. Even Spanish and German leagues still pose a threat, but for different reasons. Currently, the national team has fallen from any sort of glory. For now, most English players tend to play in English leagues. However, this may change in the future, which could have disastrous effects on the national team.
Money
The key threat to the nation is huge wage packets. The eastern leagues are offering a wealthy inheritance for players’ children. This is when football stops becoming a game about glory and more about providing for the family. For example, Danny Rose turned down £14.5m a year to play for Shanghai SIPG. At just 26, Rose could easily play another seven seasons in China to secure his family.
At the moment there have been no major transfers of English players to the Chinese or Saudi Arabian leagues. This is due to the turmoil of new cultures, being away from family, learning new languages. But, this is also due to the fact these leagues aren’t as competitive and are seen as wasting a Premier League player’s talent.
As more and more players join developing leagues such as China’s, the football level will undoubtedly increase. Gradually, this will make these leagues more and more attractive. This means that eventually, there will be more incentive for English players to transfer to these leagues.
The national team could suffer notable damage. It is unlikely that by 2050 half of the England squad will be drawn from the Chinese league, but therein lies the problem. It is the fragmentary nature of national squads that undermines any chance of glory. The key reason why nations like Spain are so successful is that most of their squad plays in the same league, if not in the same team. If English players start shipping out to various locations around the world, the opportunity for cohesion and understanding could be lost.
European Glory
It is not just these rising leagues that pose a threat. A larger threat is the attraction of huge clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Many footballers have chosen this move, such as Gary Lineker, David Beckham and even Jonathan Woodgate. The main reason for such a move is the chance at European glory. The last time an English club won the Champions League was in 2012 when Chelsea lifted the trophy. No English team has since competed in the final. Whilst this trend continues, more and more English players may be tempted to go abroad in search of such trophies.
A recent, but Welsh, example of such a move is Gareth Bale to Real Madrid. By leaving Tottenham in 2013 he has since played in two Champions League finals. Arguably, his transfer hasn’t affected the Wales national side. He has remained their key talisman. But, despite a pleasing performance at Euro 2016, this was the first tournament they had qualified for since 1958. This is partly due to the fact that many of their players tend to originate from lower leagues. It is also possibly due to the dominance of rugby in Wales, but also the strength of nearby English leagues. Therefore, England too must be careful that they do not lose their players to nearby European clubs.
Verdict
There doesn’t seem to be a massive threat to the national team from foreign leagues currently. English players tend to reside in English leagues. However, the expanding Chinese and Saudi Arabian leagues and the continuing Spanish dominance of the Champions League are posing a greater risk to the national set up. After all, if the grass is greener on the other side, what is stopping a player? Arguably, social factors such as new cultures, language and homesickness may prove to be a barrier to losing too many English players. Therefore, overall, the risk is theoretically possible, but in practice may be less likely to occur.
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