How the FA's controversial foreign player plans could hit Newcastle United

The FA are understood to be considering radical changes to the rules governing foreign players in the Premier League - and they could affect Newcastle United.
These rules could hit Newcastle UnitedThese rules could hit Newcastle United
These rules could hit Newcastle United

What rule changes could be coming?

The FA, Premier League and EFL have been in dialogue as they look to establish a joint approach for Brexit, where the movement of players in and out of the country could be affected.

And fresh reports from the Mirror suggest that the FA are keen to pursue plans to limit the number of foreign players in Premier League squads even further - regardless of if Brexit happens.

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The governing body are pushing for top flight clubs to be allowed a maximum of 13 non-homegrown players in their squads in a reduction from the 17 available now.

MORE: Rafa Benitez's top target speaks out on Newcastle linksPremier League clubs are thought to be against the changes, but some form of compromise may need to be found.

What is a homegrown player in the Premier League?

Under current rules, a homegrown player is one who has been affiliated with an English club for three years before their 21st birthday.

That doesn't mean they have to be English - the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Paul Pogba qualify as homegrown because they spent three years at Arsenal and Manchester United respectively before turning 21.

How would this affect Newcastle United?

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Newcastle United currently have just ten homegrown players in their 25-man Premier League squad - meaning that they would not meet the suggested new squad quotas.

They are: Ciaran Clark, Karl Darlow, Paul Dummett Rob Elliott, Isaac Hayden, Jamaal Lascelles, Jacob Murphy, Matt Ritchie, Jonjo Shelvey and Jamie Sterry.

READ: Newcastle outcast breaks silence on first team exileThe likes of Freddie Woodman and Sean Longstaff do not count towards the homegrown quota as they are currently under 21, but will count as homegrown once they exceed that age.

Under the proposed rule changes, the Magpies would need to have a minimum of 12 homegrown players in their ranks, rather than the eight required now.

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This could mean some non-homegrown players will need to be moved on, while potentially handing opportunities to academy graduates who qualify as homegrown.

When could these rules come into play?

With the Brexit process not expected to official end until 2021 at the earliest, such rule changes may not come into force until then.

However, if the FA and Premier League decide to implement the rule changes regardless of Britain's removal from the European Union, then it's feasible that the changes could potentially come earlier.

For the time being, though, these are only proposals - and may never come to fruition.