Arsenal holds the record for being the team that has started Premier League games the most times without having even one English player on the squad. For the 155th time, the team took the field without an English player, placing them at the top of the list for teams that are lacking Englishmen on the squads. In fact, Arsenal has played 129 games more than any other team that is also lacking English representation on the field. While they are not the only team in the league to not have any English starters, they are the team that has played the most games without a single Englishman on the pitch.
Lack of Homegrown Stars Does Not Affect Performance
Even though one would expect Arsenal to field players from England, the team has been amazingly successful in obtaining wins throughout the season without English players. In the history of the team, Arsenal has created a line-up 155 times without having any English players. However, this has not prevented the team from earning the wins and providing fans with exceptional action on the field. In fact, Arsenal remains one of the top teams to receive online wagers placed at these sports betting sites.
Just recently, a record was set by the team as they started a Premier League game for the fifth time in a row without an English player stepping foot on the field. These numbers may not seem overly alarming, but the numbers are damning considering the next highest number for not playing with an English player is just 26, a record held by Wigan. Only two other teams in the entire league have double numbers in terms of games played without homegrown players, Manchester City at 12 and Fulham at 17.
Why Arsenal Lacks Englishmen
It is not a conscious choice for the Arsenal football squad to negate having any Englishmen to start eh games. In fact there are just no genuine English superstars that are coming into the game. Some of this is also the choice of Wenger. He is often known for offering young players more playing time and in some cases, it is believed he has even sacrificed the League Cup to provide playing opportunity or young players. The stats actually show that Wenger favors foreign players over local Englishmen.
The lack of English players is not just apparent on the the Arsenal squad. There are many teams in the league that have sought out players from other countries who have better skills and stats than local players. The year 1999 marked the first time that a team fielded a starting line up that did not feature a single English player. Even though coaches and managers would like to feature English superstars, the country is not producing high quality players as it has in the past.
Home Grown Player Rule
Many fans have heard of the Home Grown Player Rule that applies to the Premier League, but here are so many misconceptions about this rule. However, fans are often upset by the fact that he manager of the Arsenal squad continues to avoid placing Englishmen in the starting line-up. They feel it is against these set rules. But in fact, the manager of the team is not violating the rules at all.
The rule was put into effect in 2010/2011 and was designed to provide incentive to Premier League teams who sign players who have been developed in the English League system. The requirement of the rule is that each team can register 25 players over the age of 21. Of those 25 players, up to 17 can be non-Home Grown Players. The confusion comes in to play when people try to understand what a Home Grown Player truly is. Based on the definition from the Premier League, it is a player who is 21 or over and has spent three years between 60 and 21 with a team that is in the English League system. The rule actually has nothing to do with nationality at all and players do not have to be English or Welsh to be considered a Home Grown Player. Players also do not have to be at the same club where they were developed. A perfect example if Danny Welbeck. He will be a Home Grown Player for Arsenal even though he developed at Manchester United.
Arsenal may hold the record for the number of games that have been started with no Englishmen in the line-up when the team takes the field, but this mentality and managing has lead the team to great success. Since English players are not of the same caliber as foreign players. Arsenal will continue to draw their players from the better pool offered in other countries, especially if they intent to be contenders for championships and league titles. The team is breaking no rules, however, local fans are a bit disgruntled to not have any local players showcased at the games.
