Leave-voting West Bromwich Albion manager Sam Allardyce has complained that he has already missed out on three new signings because of Brexit.
New rules, which came into force from 1 January, mean that Premier League clubs are unable to sign players from EU countries without a work permit – while foreign players under the age of 18 can’t be signed at all.
Allardyce – newly-appointed at West Brom, who are second from bottom – lamented that three potential recruits had already fallen through as a result of the new rules.
“I have found three players already who were capable of coming here and they’re not allowed. It’s a shame,” Allardyce said.
But sharp-eyed observers were quick to point out that Allardyce has been very vocal about his status as a Brexiteer.
Before the referendum, when he was Sunderland manager, he reportedly told his players: “I am out. My feeling is that the European Union isn’t doing the United Kingdom any favours.”
And he appeared on talkSport in 2018 to complain about Theresa May’s ability to get Brexit finished.
Allardyce may find sympathy for his plight is hard to come by.
Related: Nigel Farage calls for Tony Blair to become UK’s vaccination Tsar
Since you are here
Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help.
Journalism in Britain is under threat. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations.
Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. But we can't do it without you.
If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point.
To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here.
The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work.
The shop can be found here.
You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER .
