TransferRoom has launched a new tool to give its members real-time information about the status of individual players in relation to the UK’s new points-based immigration system.

This will give not only British clubs looking to make signings, but also foreign clubs assessing the market for their players, an instant indication of whether a deal is worth pursuing.

Daniel Blades, Lead Data Analyst at TransferRoom, said: “The Football Association’s new rules for the post-Brexit transfer market are complicated and run to 36 pages. Decision-makers at clubs trying to make quick decisions do not have time to waste on deals that won’t be permitted OR to spend making complex calculations for all their potential targets. The FA GBE Player Points tool will give our members reliable information about the player’s likely points score at the click of a button.”

How it works

GBE stands for Governing Body Endorsement – the green light that any overseas player needs from the national federation in order to have the right to work in the relevant country. TransferRoom members will be able to go to an individual player’s profile page on the existing platform and use FA GBE Player Points to find out his status under the post-Brexit rules.

The tool will calculate how many points the player would earn, based on the latest performance data available, and simply reveal the corresponding status: “Auto-Pass”, “Pass”, “Fail” or “Exemptions Panel”. Players who have played a certain percentage of game minutes for their national teams over the preceding two years – the required proportion depending on the country’s world ranking - will receive an “Auto-Pass”. If they do not qualify for an “Auto-Pass”, players need to gain 15 or more points that are available under various criteria in order to be given a “Pass”.

Fewer than 10 points mean “Fail”. But 10-14 points would entitle a player’s case to go before an Exemptions Panel where the potential buying club could present arguments why they should be granted a GBE despite failing to meet the criteria.

Points mean prizes

Players can earn points from a number of different sources. But the variety of criteria means clubs would need to do a large amount of research in order to make the relevant calculations. International players who don’t receive an Auto-Pass can still gain points according to the percentage of minutes they have played over the preceding two years. The club-related criteria are:

• Percentage of domestic minutes played (in the preceding year).
• Percentage of continental minutes played (in the preceding year).
• Final league position of last club in last complete season, and strength of that league.
• Progression of last club in continental competition, and strength of the competition.
• Strength of the league of the player’s last club.

It would be a hugely time-consuming exercise to work out the points for each category for every potential player a club wants to buy or sell. But TransferRoom’s FA GBE Player Points gives an instant indication of a player’s status. The tool will soon be expanded to allow clubs to see whether players aged 18 to 21 who do not earn enough points under the basic system would qualify under separate regulations that relate specifically to youth players.

TransferRoom CEO Jonas Ankersen said: “TransferRoom exists to give decision-makers up-to-date, reliable information about the market, and the ability to act on it fast. The post-Brexit rules present a new obstacle to clubs in Britain and overseas and this new tool will give them a key advantage in meeting and overcoming that fresh challenge.”

To learn more about the Football Association’s new regulations for the incoming transfer of overseas players to the UK, click here