Premier League clubs are increasingly turning to academies within the English Football League (EFL) and Scottish leagues to source young talent for their Under-21 and B-team squads. This strategy allows top-flight clubs to identify and develop players in the later stages of their development, rather than relying solely on those who have been with the club since childhood.
The International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) 2025-26 figures reveal varying levels of commitment to club-trained players among Premier League teams. Manchester City led with 16.2% of league minutes played by club-trained players, followed by Chelsea at 15.5% and Brighton at 12.5%. A club-trained player is defined by CIES as someone registered with their current club for at least three full seasons between the ages of 15 and 21. This definition means a player signed at 18 from an EFL academy can still qualify as club-trained if they spend the subsequent three years at their new Premier League club.
Conversely, some clubs have a minimal or non-existent contribution from club-trained players. Tottenham's club-trained players accounted for just 0.1% of league minutes, while Bournemouth, Brentford, and Burnley registered zero. This disparity highlights the appeal of recruiting from external academies.
While the number of such moves has not seen a relentless increase, with 18 transfers in 2023-24, the current summer's 14 moves indicate a consistent approach. The concentration of transfers involving 18-year-olds and players from League One suggests that Premier League clubs are becoming more precise in their recruitment targets. This trend raises questions for EFL clubs about their ability to retain their most promising young players for extended periods. For Premier League clubs, the calculation involves identifying the next generation of talent, such as players like Ollie Watkins, Eberechi Eze, or Antoine Semenyo, before other clubs do.