Manchester City transfer news: City ‘will be forced to buy English’

A lack of home-grown players at Manchester City could force the club into an expensive summer of buying English.

With James Milner likely to leave City when his contract expires next month, a club that has poured money into academy development will have one Englishman, Joe Hart, in its senior squad.

Premier League regulations state that eight members of a club’s 25-man squad must be home grown. Chelsea, who have just three senior home-grown footballers, have circumvented the regulation by employing members of the under-21 squad like Kurt Zouma. City could do this but their youth-team squad is not at the same level as Chelsea’s, who are European Under-19 champions.

Of the eight declared by City for this season, Frank Lampard and Scott Sinclair will join Milner in leaving, while Richard Wright, the third-choice keeper, sees his contract expire next month. City’s three remaining “home-grown” players are foreign. Dedryck Boyata is Belgian, Gaël Clichy French and John Guidetti Swedish.

When asked if the club would have to buy English footballers this summer, the manager, Manuel Pellegrini, said: “Of course, we are going to lose at least two English players. All English teams need English players and they all want the best ones, so there will be big competition with Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool.”

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Pellegrini has argued that the reason City haven’t bought English players has been the price. When they have done so – Sinclair and Jack Rodwell – the results have been disappointing.