After scoring the second goal in the international friendly football match between England, Republic of Ireland and England at Wembley stadium, north London on November 12, 2020, Jadon Sancho (R), celebrates with Jack Grealish (L). (Photo: Nick Potts/POOL / AFP). / NOT FOR MARKING OR ADVERTISING. / RESTRICTED to EDITORIAL US (Photo taken by NICK PETTS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images. POOL/AFP via Getty Images
It took six seasons for Brexit to finally affect the Premier League.
Many people expected that the transfer strategies would be changed after the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union.
This has led to a significant shift in Premier League investment, and for the first time in a decade, an elevation of English players as the most important in Europe.
Take a look at the biggest transfer windows deals.
Three out of five top-value deals were made by Englishmen.
Manchester City spent $140million on Jack Grealish. Manchester United bought Jadon Sancho from Manchester United for $100 million, and Ben White was Arsenals' for $60 million.
Aston Villa snapped Danny Ings up for $42 million, and Tammy Abraham went to Roma for $50 millions. This means that half of the top 10 transfers this summer were English players.
To find an era when English stars were traded at this level, you have to go back to 2011, when Liverpool bought Jordan Henderson. Manchester United signed Ashley Young (and Phil Jones) in 2011. However, these deals were not the largest.
It is possible that it will change, Real Madrid rejected a bid of $200 million for Kylian Mbappe recently, but it is unlikely many Englishmen will be removed from the list before the window closes.
This summer, more than half a million dollars have been spent on Englishmen. It is clear that the habits of Englishmen are changing.
This shift by Premier League teams towards home-based talent is bad for other European leagues.
The Premier League billions
LILLE, FRANCE – JANUARY 26: A flag with a logo from Ligue 1 was displayed at the French League 1 match [+] Lille v Paris Saint Germain at Stade Pierre Mauroy on January 26, 2020 in Lille France (Photo courtesy Erwin Spek/Soccrates/Getty Images). Getty Images
The Premier League has been dominating the global transfer market for well over a decade and spends consistently more than any other league.
This imbalance is so severe that only a few top European clubs can finance a deal that a modestly-sized Premier League club cannot afford.
Although this inequality may seem like a problem for clubs not in the richest leagues, it has its advantages.
Globally, soccer finances are in dire straits. It is becoming increasingly difficult to manage a club sustainably, as wages continue to rise.
A transfer fee can be paid by sides with small budgets to sell a star player to an English team or generate interest from the Premier League.
France is one of the most authentic places on earth.
2019 saw Ligue 1 rebrand itself as the League of Talents. This was perhaps a nod towards Paris Saint-Germain's superstars but also a recognition of the consistency with which it has produced the future players.
France is a country that has a remarkable track record in developing premier league players, from Liverpool's Sadio Mane to Fabinho to Manchester City's Riyad Mahrez and Chelsea's Ngolo Karante.
It is therefore not surprising that English clubs love to shop there.
Lille is one of the most popular cities in the world. Since 2016, Lille has made $207 million by selling Premier League players.
This is a crucial source of revenue for a club with complicated finances.
Lille, with substantial debts, was given a transfer ban in 2018 by the league's financial watchdog. However, Lille won the title last season with a team that was built on player sales profits.
It sold Boubakary Toumare to Leicester City this summer for $24 Million, as Ligue 1 was in worse financial health.
They might not be able rely on the Premier League's money for long.
English clubs European parking
HONG KONG, 2019/04/06: This photo illustrates the highest level of English football league... [+] Premier League logo can be seen on an Android smartphone with a Brexit message. Photo Illustration by Budrul Chkrut/SOPA Images/LightRocket through Getty Images
The European Union's freedom of movement laws were a powerful tool in player recruitment for Premier League teams.
These passports allowed them to attract talent from all over the continent, and if they had an EU visa, no worries about securing legal permission to work.
However, the UK government's points-based immigration system has made it necessary for players to obtain Governing Body Endorsement.
An independent board grants this approval. They consider criteria such as international appearances and the quality of the club.
Lille will continue to be able to make extraordinary deals such as the $100 million Arsenal paid for Nicolas Pepe. The $15 million transfer of Yves Bissouma to Brighton or Southhampton for Soufane Boufal may not be as straightforward.
Kieran Maguire, University of Liverpool soccer finance expert believes that the habits of English clubs are already changing.
They would have wanted to recruit from Europe for small clubs like Crystal Palace, but now it is more difficult, he says.
They will need to jump through additional hoops because of the post-Brexit restrictions that the government imposes on them.
This regulatory dilemma could be solved by removing the selling club entirely.
Instead of buying players directly, English sides are now looking to buy an entire club overseas to park talent and wait for the GBE criteria to be applied.
Maguire says there has been talk about Leeds Uniteds [owner] Radrizzani purchasing a club in Italy.
The owner of Brighton's club is also a Belgian citizen and uses it as a kind of parking lot. If they can't bring any players for the UK, he will go to Belgium to try to get the points that allow them to.
That's something I believe the clubs should be monitoring.
Lille hopes that it is not adopted by too many people and that there will be a market to it.
