The annual review by the Professional Football Players Observatory of the European football players’ labour market shows that the percentage of players having grown up in a different country to that of their club of employment in the 2007/08 season reached a new record (42.4 per cent). There was 3.6 per cent increase compared to the preceding season. The most marked change was recorded in Italy (+7.5 per cent).
The annual review by the Professional Football Players Observatory of the European football players’ labour market shows that the percentage of players having grown up in a different country to that of their club of employment in the 2007/08 season reached a new record (42.4 per cent). There was 3.6 per cent increase compared to the preceding season. The most marked change was recorded in Italy (+7.5 per cent). Foreigners represented more than half the players in English [Premiership] clubs (59.5 per cent) and in the twenty-five clubs which hold a top five position in their respective leagues (52.6 per cent). Brazil exports by far the largest number of talented players to the top European league clubs. Their numbers are up by 18 compared with last season. Argentina also exported a large number of players (98) and the number of Latin Americans among foreign players has risen from 27.9 to 29.9 per cent. The percentage of players employed in the same club for at least three seasons has fallen by 1.2 per cet compared with the previous season. The last stable teams are in Italy. The average period spent by players in Italian clubs is 2.2 years, whilst the average in Spain is 2.7 years.
Based on the sustainability criteria adopted (performance, stability, training, effectiveness in recruitment) five clubs can be identified as having the most sustainable squad management. AS Nancy-Lorraine owes its position above all to its ability to train and employ young players. The four other clubs at the top of the ranking are high level clubs: Barcelona, Arsenal, Manchester United and Bayern Munich. These clubs, with the exception of Bayern, have a large number of locally trained players in their teams or recruit sufficiently young players for them to be considered as such. In the case of Manchester United, the stability of the team is also markedly above the norm.