Premier League clubs are asking Fifa to alter transfer regulations to allow them to offer longer contracts to players under the age of 18.
A number of clubs are increasingly concerned about their most talented youngsters being snapped up by foreign clubs soon after they turn 18. Chelsea are struggling to retain the forward Callum Hudson-Odoi amid interest from Bayern Munich. Under existing rules they were prohibited from tying him down to a long contract until he turned 18 in November.
Fifa’s regulations on the status and transfer of players state that those under 18 can only enter into deals that are less than three seasons long. Given that a professional contract can be signed only on a player’s 17th birthday, it often means that they are contracted for little more than two years, particularly if their birthday falls late in the season.
As a result many of the most talented young players in the country could have little more than 12 months left on their agreement when they turn 18, leaving their clubs vulnerable to the prospect of losing them.
Hudson-Odoi, who impressed on his full England debut in the 5-1 win against Montenegro on Monday, is a case in point. He has not yet started for Chelsea in the Premier League.
Having signed the maximum permitted two-and-a-half-year contract at Chelsea worth £20,000 a week on his 17th birthday in November 2017, he had little more than 18 months left when he was first eligible to sign a longer deal last November.
Chelsea succeeded in holding off Bayern’s interest despite the German club making a £35 million bid in January, but they could lose the England forward on a free transfer at the end of next season if he refuses to sign a new deal before then, which is Hudson-Odoi’s present position.
The Times revealed yesterday that Chelsea would not sell him this summer, but a longer contract signed sooner would have strengthened the club’s hand.
As a result, Premier League clubs are urging Fifa to allow them to protect themselves against such situations, having lost a number of talented youngsters in recent years, particularly given that the compensation available for an international transfer is minimal.
Manchester City have lost Jadon Sancho, the English winger, and Brahim Díaz, the Spanish midfielder, to Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid respectively in the past two years, while Jonathan Panzo, the English defender, left Chelsea for Monaco last year. Kaylen Hinds, the English striker, left Arsenal for Wolfsburg the year before.
City responded to the loss of Sancho and Díaz by giving a six-year contract to the England Under-21 midfielder Phil Foden after his 18th birthday last year, but along with their Premier League rivals they believe that they should be able to offer such long-term contracts at an earlier age.
Fifa is in the middle of conducting an extensive review of the transfer system, which will include introducing a financial institution to track so-called solidarity payments owed to clubs who have trained players in their youth systems.
It is, however, unclear whether the governing body will be willing to grant more flexibility with contracts.
While Brexit should help to prevent Premier League clubs from losing under-18s to overseas clubs — under Fifa rules the only players under 18 who are permitted international transfers are those who move within countries in the European Economic Area — it will not protect them from raids by foreign clubs for players who have turned 18 as their contracts run down.