Scottish clubs may see more demand from the mega-rich Premier League for players after Brexit - but new rules could make signing promising talent more difficult.
The Premiership has long been seen as a stepping stone for players looking to make the move to England, with Celtic establishing a pathway for emerging talent and Rangers looking to follow suit.
The likes of Virgil van Dijk and Victor Wanyama have passed through Parkhead on the way to Premier League stardom and new rules in England could see increased demand.
The UK is set to leave the European Union after December 31 and the FA has set out the new rules for signing overseas players.
All players from outside of the British Isles will need to obtain a work permit, with a points-based system determining which players will be granted one.
That could mean English clubs turning increasingly to Scottish talent - or to players from overseas based in Scotland who already have the right to work in the UK.
However, there could be a sting in the tail if the SFA follows the same model which has been approved by the Home Office.
Granting of a work permit will be based on three categories.
These are:
- Senior and youth international appearances
-
Quality of the selling club, based on the league they are in, league position and progression in continental competition
- Club appearances, based on domestic league and continental competition minutes
That will not be a problem for the upper echelons of the Premier League, who look to the cream of Europe's talent.
However, if the same rules are applied in Scotland it could hamper Premiership clubs.
For example, Van Dijk was uncapped by the Netherlands when signed by Celtic and had just three appearances for the Under-21 side.
That would leave him reliant on his 66 games for Groningen - who hadn't played in Europe and finished 14th and 7th in his final two seasons.
Under the FA plan there will be an exemptions panel that will rule on players "just below the threshold" - but under those rules Van Dijk's status would be in doubt.
But the majority of Premiership clubs are not signing international players from top-level clubs and could miss out.
The likes of Vaclav Hladky, Raffaele Da Vita and Melker Hallberg would have been unlikely to qualify under the FA's rules.
