With more foreign players in the Premier League than ever, we have investigated how heavily each team relies on foreign talent, and what the table would look like if only English goal scorers counted.
Since its inception, the Premier League has attracted global stars from every continent.
The ratio of English talent has steadily decreased, with most squads now being predominantly made up of overseas players.
But the extent to which clubs rely on foreign players varies dramatically.
To see which clubs had the biggest dependence on imported talent, we at SportsCasting have compared both the ratio of minutes given to foreign versus English players, and how the table would look if only goals scored by homegrown players were counted.
Key Data Points:
- Liverpool have given just 3.8% of their Premier League minutes to homegrown players.
- Manchester United would be in the relegation zone if only English scorers counted.
- Everton are the only Premier League side to give most of their minutes to homegrown players.
- Sunderland have relied almost exclusively on foreign players for their success.
- Brighton top of the English-only Premier League table.
Premier League Minutes Given To Foreign Players
Below, we can see both the number of players used, and the ratio of foreign to non-foreign players used by every Premier League team this season.
Liverpool Give Just 3.8% Of Minutes To Homegrown Players
Despite having one of the best academy systems in the country, Liverpool have given a tiny fraction of their minutes so far to English players.
At the time of writing, 96.2% of Liverpool’s Premier League minutes have been given to foreigners.
Curtis Jones, Joe Gomez, Harvey Elliott and Rio Ngumoha are the only four English players to feature in the league for Liverpool manager Arne Slot’s side this season.
All have been limited to substitute appearances, reducing their minutes significantly.
Conor Bradley of Northern Ireland and Scotland’s Andrew Robertson have featured more regularly, but as this data is specifically for English players, their minutes do not count towards the total.
Everton The Only Side To Give Most Of Their Minutes To English Players
Of all 20 Premier League clubs, only one has so far handed the majority of their minutes to non-foreign players.
Everton have given 55.4% of their Premier League minutes to English stars this season.
Six of the 11 Toffees players with the most minutes to date are English, with Jordan Pickford, James Tarkovsky and James Garner so far playing every minute in the league.
And with Michael Keane, Jack Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall also starting most games, it’s no surprise to see Everton top the list.
Everton take on Sunderland on Monday Night Football, the side at the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to giving home-grown players minutes.
Sunderland Have Given The Fewest Minutes To English Players This Season
One of the surprise stories so far in the Premier League has been Sunderland’s.
The Black Cats were favourites for relegation ahead of the campaign.
Promoted via the play-offs, few gave them a hope of survival.
But with 17 points after nine games, they could move back to second with a win against Everton on Monday night.
However, they have achieved their success almost exclusively using foreign players.
Just 2.4% of Sunderland’s Premier League minutes so far have been given to English players, the lowest ratio in the league.
This suggests that in order to compete, promoted teams are having to invest heavily in imported talent.
Premier League Table With Only English Goal Scorers
While Sunderland are flying in the actual table, things look very different when only considering English scorers.
Below is what the Premier League would look like currently if only goals scored by English players counted.
Manchester United Would Be In Relegation Zone If Only English Goals Counted
One of the most notable differences in the table if only English goals counted would be Manchester United.
The Red Devils have improved significantly under Ruben Amorim this season.
Unbeaten in four, they have equalled their best run under the Portuguese coach.
But were we only to count goals by English players, they would be in the bottom three.
With a goal each, Harry Maguire and Mason Mount are United’s only English scorers in the league.
On top of this, they have conceded six times to English players, the joint-most of any side.
However, United have been linked to Morgan Gibbs-White, so they may soon have another English scorer.
Brighton Top Of The English-Only Premier League Table
United may do much worse if English scorers were the only ones counted, but Brighton would be top of the pile.
The Seagulls have scored seven times through homegrown talent, more than any other side.
Six of these have come from striker Danny Welbeck, with fellow veteran James Milner also scoring.
Although born in England, midfielder Matt O’Riley represents Denmark internationally, so his goal against Fulham in August does not count towards the tally.
Brighton’s reliance on English scorers comes despite them giving 81.2% of their minutes to foreigners, showing just how important Welbeck has been for them this season.
Burnley One Point Off The Top In English-Only Standings
Another side that would be far better off in the English-only standings are Burnley.
The Clarets have scored four and conceded just once to English players so far.
This would give them 17 points, one fewer than Brighton.
Under former boss Sean Dyche, who now manages Nottingham Forest, Burnley built a reputation as an old-fashioned, no-nonsense team with a heavily English core group.
From the data, it appears that Dyche’s ‘Brexit-ball’ identity still courses through the club’s DNA at Turf Moor.
