Leeds United's summer transfer dealings saw them add Brazilian star Raphinha in a £17 million move from French side Stade Rennais. The transfer was made much easier to complete due to the fact the player had lived and worked in the European Union since 2016, meaning he was more likely to pass a work permit test as a non-EU player.
New developments in player transfer rulings outlined by the FA on December 1st indicate that following the United Kingdom's exit from the EU, all overseas players will be subject to work permit assessments, as South American players ordinarily have been.
However, in doing so, the difficulty in signing a South American player has been lessened quite considerably.
Under the new system, so long as a player is aged 18 or over and playing regularly in the Argentinian top flight or Brazil's Campeonato Serie A, they should qualify for a work permit. Previously, it was a requirement for non-EU players to have featured in 30% of their country's international matches to pass a work permit test, which prevented many deals from being sealed, particularly for young players.
South America's version of the UEFA Champions League is the CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores, in which teams such as Flamengo, Sao Paulo, Boca Juniors and River Plate feature regularly. In the new points-based system, both the Libertadores and Champions League are weighted equally, meaning a player featuring regularly in that competition should theoretically qualify to play in England.
Argentina's Premier Division and Brazil's Serie A are both listed in Band 3, stipulating that a player who features in 90-100% available minutes for his club in these two divisions, would earn 8 points towards a successful 15-point application. For every 10% decrease in minutes played, players in Band 3 leagues earn one point less until the 20-29% bracket in which they earn zero.
If said player plays 90-100% of available minutes for his club in the Copa Libertadores, he earns 10 points. A player from Boca Juniors who plays in every league and continental fixture in the year prior to moving to an English club, would earn 18 points and pass the criteria under the new rules, even if he is not a full international.
This could be good news for Leeds United if they intend to pursue the likes of Thiago Almada once again. The club were linked with the Velez Sarsfield midfielder in the summer, but were not drawn into making a bid for the diminutive playmaker.
Under the new regulations, 19-year-old Almada would pass the work permit test on January 1st based on the following criteria:
Almada is a high-profile case, but that is reflected by how many points he surpasses the test by. Hypothetically, Leeds would be able to recruit their next Raphinha from source, without having to pay the premiums that go hand-in-hand with spells at European clubs.
Transfer fees for young South American players tend to be smaller than in Europe, given that their purchasing power parity is lesser than their European counterparts.
It is a small positive from a new way of operating in the transfer market, which will require clubs to become clued up on the various intricacies of the new regulations.
If Leeds can remain ahead of the curve when it comes to recruitment - as they have shown with the smart additions of Raphinha, Robin Koch and Rodrigo - there is nothing to suggest they cannot make further marginal gains in relatively untapped markets.
That task will subsequently be laid at the door of Chairman Andrea Radrizzani and Director of Football Victor Orta, who have both demonstrated they are up to the challenge of making Leeds as competitive as possible.
