Talent ID and recruitment in football have evolved immensely in recent years and continue to do so at a rapid rate. We’ve seen Premier League teams expand their scouting boundaries, with clubs like Brighton being very successful in bringing relatively unknown players from areas such as South America; we’ve seen clubs in the EFL Championship evolving by dipping into different European markets to find unearthed young gems; and we’ve also teams in Leagues One and Two look to bring players in from around the world to try and give themselves an edge financially as well as on the pitch.
Currently, spanning across the Championship, League One, and League Two, there are 172 players that were signed from clubs outside of English football. This data analysis will uncover just how much every single club in those three divisions recruits in that regard, as well as looking at which nations seem to be of particular interest to English clubs.
In terms of criteria, there isn’t much. We’re looking at the current squads of every one of the 72 clubs, picking out any player who has been signed from a club outside of England – whether it’s a permanent deal or a loan transfer. Additionally, we’ve also included free agent signings if the player in question was last at a club outside of England. We realise that some of the free agents signed by clubs could have been signed for reasons other than their scouting department covering a certain nation, having a history playing in England prior to their move abroad, or the player having an existing relationship with the manager/the manager being aware of the player regardless of their time abroad – both are important aspects, but as it is impossible for us to know this information about every free agent signing, they’ve all been included in the statistics. In that regard, those free agents are included in the same boat as the rest of the players in the sense of being signed from outside of England.
Championship
Many have made the observation of the gap between the Championship and the Premier League and how it seemingly continues to grow, but from a recruitment standpoint, it’s arguable that England’s second tier is keeping a good pace in terms of scouting around the globe and bringing players in from various nations. 151 current Championship players were signed from outside of England, and unless you’ve kept a close eye on the recruitment within the division in recent years, there may be some surprises!
We start by breaking down each club’s activity in signing players from abroad, and some teams may not come as a shock. Watford having 11 players in their squad who were signed from other nations is a result of the club’s current state—ownership status, large turnover of managers and players; they’ve had to adapt constantly, and that involves recruiting from other clubs around the continent and clubs that the owner has relationships with.
Leicester also have a high number of players from leagues outside of England (nine), but this can be somewhat expected, as the club was a Premier League mainstay before its relegation last season. Norwich has a high count for similar reasons—being either a top-end Championship club or a Premier League club, more often than not, has resulted in this.
Stoke may be a shock revelation for some, with the club having nine players in their squad who weren’t recruited from an English club. And no, that number isn’t filled out with signings from Scotland or Ireland, for example. No, Millwall have signed players from an array of nations – South Korea, Portugal, New Zealand, and Serbia being just a few. This gives us an insight into how Millwall are looking to evolve and be innovative in their search of improving the club’s stature.
While signing players from around the globe can give your team a different kind of edge in terms of attributes, playing styles etc., there’s something to be said for knowing where to look in England and recruit successfully – something Ipswich Town know all about. The promotion hopefuls have just one player in their squad who was playing abroad prior to moving to Portman Road. And they didn’t come too far either – central defender George Edmondson was signed from Scottish giants Rangers after failing to make an impact at Ibrox.
As you might imagine, signing players from Scotland is vastly popular with Championship clubs. Quality options can and have been found, with clubs rarely demanding a huge fee, something that puts some clubs off when it comes to recruiting similar-level players from English clubs. 21 players currently playing in England’s second tier were signed by their current club from Scotland—averaging almost one for every club in the division.
Elsewhere, signings from France and Belgium are becoming more and more common, with the data showing us that 16 players have been signed from French clubs and a further 16 from Belgian clubs. Top contributors to those signings are Leicester (two from France, one from Belgium), Sunderland (three from France), Watford (four from Belgium), Bristol City (two from Belgium, one from France), and Sheffield Wednesday (three from France). The presence of players signed from Turkey is also a surprising & interesting one, with eight current Championship players arriving from Turkish football.
Signings from the Netherlands are also increasing in popularity with Championship clubs, with 12 current players in the division coming from Holland – Middlesbrough and Huddersfield Town (two each) being the only clubs to have more than one player signed from a Dutch club.
Scouting in and recruiting from the Nordic region is also something that is becoming increasingly desirable, with 12 current Championship players being signed from Sweden, Finland, Denmark, or Norway. Scouting this region has proven successful for clubs for several years at the top level, and clubs lower down the ladder also tapping into that.
League One
As we work our way down the EFL pyramid, you’ll notice that the number of players signed from clubs outside of England drops. Obviously, this is down to clubs generally having lower finances and smaller scouting departments/resources, but that isn’t to say there aren’t a good level of interesting players being brought into the English game!
Immediately, you’ll notice that the general number of players signed from clubs abroad is lower, with most clubs sitting between the 2-5 mark. Fleetwood Town, who are in a relegation fight at the moment, have the broadest activity when it comes to signing players from outside of England (nine). They haven’t gone exploring the globe, though, with seven of their first-team squad being signed from the Republic of Ireland and two from Scotland. It will be interesting to see if they switch their recruitment focus/strategy in the summer, as questions must be asked about their current direction, given their league standing.
Elsewhere, Lincoln City (six) are also fans of recruiting from Scotland and Ireland (five combined), but they did sign Lewis Montsma from Dutch club FC Dordrecht. The defender has made 83 appearances for the Imps since his arrival in 2020. We would like to put on record our best wishes to Monstma, who suffered a horrible knee injury in May 2023 and is still yet to return.
Barnsley, Exeter, and Reading all have five players in their respective squads who were signed from clubs elsewhere in the world, but one of the more surprising numbers is Derby County having absolutely no players signed from a club outside of England. Furthermore, Reading have recruited from five different nations outside of England (Denmark, Germany, France, Netherlands, and USA), which is more than anyone else in League One.
Again, no surprises that Scotland and Ireland are the two most popular non-English nations to recruit from for League One clubs due to practicality and financial reasons. It’s also no surprise that Northern Ireland are third-highest behind the front two. Elsewhere, France, Germany, Netherlands, and USA (all with three players each being signed by English clubs) are all becoming more popular for scouting assignments within League One clubs.
League Two
We wrap things up by looking at the transfer activity within League Two. As you’d expect, fewer players in current squads arrived from clubs outside of England. The data and statistics here aim to provide some insight into where League Two clubs prioritise in their limited scouting setups.
Bradford City and Swindon Town lead the way, with both clubs having six players who were brought in from outside of England. Both sides go further than the popular two of just signing from Scotland and Ireland – especially Swindon. The Robins have signed players from six different nations other than England, bringing in talent from Australia, Cyprus, Sweden, and yes – Scotland and Ireland. Interestingly, Gillingham and Grimsby are following a similar path to Derby County in the sense of only signing from players from England.
Clubs in League Two currently sign more players from Scotland than League One and the Championship, which says something about the belief of how certain tiers of Scottish football match up to the level of League Two – again, the financial benefits of recruiting from Scotland play a part. Recruiting from America is also growing in popularity in England’s fourth tier, and not just from the USL. Stockport County have an MLS player on their books – Ethan Bristow is currently on loan from Minnesota United, who signed the full-back in 2023 from Tranmere Rovers.
Nordic scouting remains evergreen even in League Two, with three players in the division being signed from Sweden and Denmark. One of those is Alassana Jatta – Notts County’s new exciting forward, signed from Danish club Viborg FF for a reported fee of £128k in January 2024. This signing was a great example of scouting in line with a set profile for what Notts County were looking for in a CF. Jatta’s goal output was less than desirable in League football in Denmark, scoring just twice in 44 Superliga appearances. Still, the staff at County recognised his attributes in areas that were important for the type of player they wanted. So far, it’s paying off, with Jatta netting three goals and grabbing one assist in his opening six League Two appearances.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this data analysis has given you some insight into player recruitment across the EFL regarding where teams are looking to sign players from. We’ve seen that there is currently a trend of scouting in and recruiting the Nordic region. At the same time, other European countries like France, Germany, and the Netherlands remain essential to the scouting work of many teams. In what is likely no surprise, EFL clubs still see great importance in keeping tabs on Scottish and Irish football, with plenty of players being signed from those two nations.
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