YorkshireRoyal99Stranded3points The key is the in the same league or above. So, Long and Carroll clearly have played in the Prem. Hutch and Sarr played plenty of Champ football. however, both NGW and Bouzanis may not make the criteria as their careers have been at lower league level. I assume Mbengue’s games in France make him a permitted player.
And the starts have to be in league football, and not cup competitions, which means a lot of our academy players didn’t make the definition of 3 starts before the beginning of the season.
Yes in terms of starts they are not permitted but they signed after the agreement came into force so they do.
I find it easiest to look at the "extremes" in these circumstances to see what the actual agreement most likely is. Squad size is limited to 25 permitted players, if new signings don't count then we could have sold any permitted players and just gone and signed 30 plus players from lower leagues/abroad and had a squad as big as we liked within the wages limits. This would arguably be a way around the regulations, so making any signing for the first team a permitted player makes sense.
That is why:
a) Liam Moore has taken John Clarke's squad place (Clarke has not started 3 Champ games but still was a permitted player)
b) we signed a handful of players who we made clear were only eligible for the U23s this year, else they would have also been classed as a permitted player - though the rules allow them to still play cup games without that counting towards the squad.
So the 25 players is made up of 2 distinct groups - players at the club prior to the agreement who meet the apps criteria and those who joined and declared eligible for the first team regardless of number of apps at any level.
Just out of interest, if we had an academy player who started 3 league games during the season, would they then be part of our 25-man squad?
For instance, we have a 25-man squad as it is now, but if John Clarke happened to make 3 league starts between now and the end of the season, would that make him part of the permitted players and then make it 26? Which we can't have? Just curious that's all.
I'm not 100% but IIRC if they are u21 and were at the club prior to the agreement, they would not count. Clarke counted anyway as we signed him later.
