HOW BREXIT WOULD HAVE AFFECTED PREMIER LEAGUE LAST SEASON

According to reports from investment banker Keith Harris, some Premier League stars that joined in the last campaign would not have been able to play if the vote to leave the European Union was in play.

The banker told Sky Sports News that players like Romelu Lukaku, Dimitri Payet, N’golo Kante and even Anthony Martial that make a huge impact in the past season might not have been able to join their clubs.

Harris helped oversee the sale of these top stars but he said it would have much more difficult if the Brexit was in place. Players within the European Union can move to play in Great Britain without work permit but with the planned exit, this will no longer be possible. Records say about 432 European players were registered to play in the Premier League but this would not have been possible with the Brexit situation.

The next step is yet to be decided but this will hold a huge impact for Britain if they decide to go through with the move. Players currently in the league are unlikely to have to leave following the vote, but new players will not have an automatic right to live and work in the UK, according to analysts. The economy has already started feeling the pains but the government’s next step will be the major factor. Harris said: “It was a shock result. There are four players that we can reflect on and the impact they had on their clubs last year, who may not have been able to come in. Kante, who had a huge impact at Leicester, Martial at Manchester United, Lukaku at Everton and Payet at West Ham.”

He added that he wondered how “attractive the Premier League would have been and how well those clubs would have done without those specific players.” He added that until there is greater clarity, not much can be done but that the league would not lose its appeal regardless of the next move.