There’s no doubt that the influx of foreign players in the Premier League has improved the standard of the league.

On the opening day of the inaugural Premier League season, there were just 13 non-British players.

And just two weeks ago, the proportion of English players starting top-flight matches was as low as 28%, with 62 out of the 220 players.

But the FA have taken action ahead of Brexit.

According to The Times, they’ve proposed a drastic new rule change that will reduce the number of overseas players.

The report claims that the FA have made plans to reduce the number of non-British players in each squad to 12 - and the proposal will be put to the 20 clubs this week.

If the clubs don’t agree, they could face a “nightmare no-deal scenario in which all EU players will have to fulfil the same criteria that non-EU players do now in order to get a work permit."

At the moment, clubs are allowed up to 17 overseas players in their squads.

And reducing that number by five would have currently impact 13 clubs.

Right now, Manchester City, Tottenham, Brighton, Huddersfield and Watford will be most affected with all five clubs have the maximum amount of overseas players.

But Chelsea (16), Liverpool (16), Arsenal (15), and Manchester United (14) all fall foul of the new proposal.

*Image courtesy of The Times

As with all Brexit changes, there will be a transition period until, at least, the end of 2020.

The Premier League have insisted the influence of European players in England’s top-flight have made it the competition it is today.

“Like many organisations dependent on a combination of domestic and international talent, we are waiting to better understand what the political and regulatory landscape will be after the UK leaves the European Union.

“Access to talented footballers from Europe has played a key part in the growth of the Premier League, with attendance and global interest increasing as high-quality foreign players have taken their place in the competition with the best British and Irish players.”

Meanwhile, an FA spokeswoman said: “We are continuing to work with the Premier League, EFL and a range of government departments, including DCMS, Home Office, [and] Treasury during this consultation period.”