The Premier League has announced that from next season every team must name a squad of 25 players, of which eight must be home grown.

A home grown player is any player who has played for an English or Welsh club for three years before their 21st birthday.

At present every Premier League club already passes the test, though Chelsea and Liverpool both have the bare minimum of eight.

In addition, there will be tighter controls on the spending of top flight clubs.

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore revealed: "As of next season clubs will be required to have a squad named of up to 25 players, of which no more than 17 can be over the age of 21 and not home grown.

"The definition of home grown is trained for three years under the age of 21 by somebody in the English and Welsh professional system. Clubs will have to declare their 25 at the end of August when the window shuts and then again at the end of January.

But Scudamore was quick to rubbish suggestions that the rule would encourage Premier League clubs to sign foreign teenagers to train in their Academy for three years.

"It's not in the club's interests to stockpile players. It will make buying home-grown talent more attractive,'' he insisted. "We're not going down the route of a nationality test but what this will mean is that you just can't buy a team from abroad.

"We think it will give clubs an extra incentive to invest in youth. We think that one of the benefits will be that it will help the England team.''

The Premier League will also introduce strict new controls on clubs' finances.

"They will all have to annually submit accounts and future financial information,'' said Scudamore. "At all times the board of the Premier League will be applying a test which basically says this: can the club fulfil its fixtures, pay off its creditors when they are due and also to meet obligations to the Premier League's contracts and partners?

"If the board believe a club is at risk of not meeting those obligations, it has to then step in and agree a budget for the running of that club. Any transfers can be embargoed. It's absolutely crucial that these clubs are run as ongoing viable concerns. These financial rules apply immediately.

"This is tied in, and we passed the rule during the summer, to a 'fit and proper person test'. At our club meeting last week, the clubs absolutely endorsed our position of not linking expenditure to income.''

hmmm, since when Welsh club is considered as home grown player ehhh?

Wales is part of the United Kingdom if not mistaken

Wales is part of the United Kingdom if not mistaken

They are but so are Ireland, Scotland, Northern Ireland. so how come only Welsh clubs but not others from those countries?

They are but so are Ireland, Scotland, Northern Ireland. so how come only Welsh clubs but not others from those countries?

because there's Wales clubs playing at the lower division down there ?

Scotland, Ireland all having their own leagues...Wales clubs playing at the lower division of English league

Means those youngsters not special enough to be considered in the team might not get the chance to play at all if the chance presented itself. Stupid rule. Well done!

And that stupid 90mins rule about signing youngsters in England should be gone by now..

Theoretically, they can still play in League Cup and FA Cup.

Chelsea is the biggest victim as they need find more homegrown next season but the cant sign any player

Chelsea is the biggest victim as they need find more homegrown next season but the cant sign any player

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_5560131,00.html

1. "As of next season clubs will be required to have a squad named of up to 25 players, of which no more than 17 can be over the age of 21 and not home grown," Scudamore said.

2. "The definition of home grown is trained for three years under the age of 21 by somebody in the English and Welsh professional system.

3. Players who are aged under 21 are eligible over and above the limit of 25 players per squad.

Maybe we are confusing ourselves here... methinks it merely says that you need to register a maximum of 25 blokes, and 8 of them must have spent 3 years playing in either Wales or England before they hit 21. So does not matter if they are currently 20 or 40
At the same time you are allowed to bolster your squad with under 21's, but that doesn't mean that you can have less than 8 'homegrown' talents still...

what if someone was signed when he was 20? The first season he will not be considered a 'gaijin', but ironically after spending one or two seasons at the club, he hits 22 and becomes a non homegrown

Also, what does 'play' mean exactly? Playing competitively? Registered to a club or academy?

Maybe we are confusing ourselves here... methinks it merely says that you need to register a maximum of 25 blokes, and 8 of them must have spent 3 years playing in either Wales or England before they hit 21. So does not matter if they are currently 20 or 40
At the same time you are allowed to bolster your squad with under 21's, but that doesn't mean that you can have less than 8 'homegrown' talents still...

what if someone was signed when he was 20? The first season he will not be considered a 'gaijin', but ironically after spending one or two seasons at the club, he hits 22 and becomes a non homegrown

Also, what does 'play' mean exactly? Playing competitively? Registered to a club or academy? Sunday league? A kickabout in the playground?

Chelsea is the biggest victim as they need find more homegrown next season but the cant sign any player