QQQ Daily Mail, Wednesday, March 4, 2020(^80) FOOTBALL
PREMIER LEAGUE clubs
have strengthened their
global scouting teams as
they prepare to take
advantage of relaxed
post-Brexit regulations on
homegrown players.
Sportsmail exclusively
revealed yesterday that
top-flight clubs are close
to striking a deal with the
FA to ease work permit
regulations for overseas
players.
If those plans are
rubberstamped by the FA
and the government,
clubs would be permitted
to have up to three
players in their squads
who would not require
work permits.
And Premier League clubs
are preparing for this new
landscape by investing
heavily in their global
scouting networks, so they
can strike when the time
comes. They are focusing
on laying down stronger
roots in South America,
Africa and Asia.
Tottenham, Manchester
United and Newcastle are
among the clubs to have
upped their South
American representation
already.
The focus will largely be
on overseas players aged
18 and over due to new
rules forbidding the
signing of players any
younger than that.
But clubs will continue to
monitor those under 18
amid concerns the
changes will put them at a
significant disadvantage
to their European rivals.
One source indicated clubs
are considering
partnerships with foreign
clubs which could allow
them to sign their best
talents once they turn 18.
W O LV E S s t a r A d a m a
Traore may need surgery
after dislocating his left
shoulder for the third time
this season.
The winger picked up
the injury in a tussle with
Tottenham defender Japhet
Tanganga in Wolves’ 3-2
P remier League win on
Sunday. He suffered the
same problem in the reverse
f i x t u r e a t M o l i n e u x i n
December and also in the
draw at Manchester United
in January.
Wolves hope Traore, 24,
will be available for their
home game against Brighton
on Saturday and for the rest
of the league campaign, as
they look to maintain their
challenge for the top four
and extend their run in the
Europa League. They face
Olympiacos in the last 16
later this month.
But Wolves manager Nuno
Espirito Santo is concerned
a b o u t t h e a p p a r e n t
weakness.
Traore is keen to avoid
s u r g e r y f o r a s l o n g a s
possible, because he is also
desperate to secure a place
in the Spain squad for Euro
- Traore, who was born
in Barcelona, is yet to win a
senior cap.
O u t s t a n d i n g f o r m f o r
Wolves this season has made
Traore a target for some of
Europe’s top clubs, with
Barcelona monitoring his
situation.
Traore, who came through
the Catalan club’s ranks
before joining Aston Villa in
2015, is high on Barca’s
wanted list.
l LEiCESTEr recorded a
pre-tax loss of £20.2million
for the financial year to May
2019, though the results do
not include the £80million
they received from Man-
chester United for defender
Harry Maguire.
The figures do include the
£8.8m compensation paid to
Celtic for Brendan rodgers
and his staff last February
and reflect investment in a
new £100m training ground.Pep: Sky’s
the limit
for Foden
Clubs beef up global scouting
By AdriAn KAjumBA
EXCLuSiVE
By SAmi mOKBELBy TOm COLLOmOSSE
Traore surgery fear
Mourinho tells Parrott
he’s the ‘privileged one’
JOSE MOURINHO has urged
teenager Troy Parrott to
follow the Scott McTominay
route to becoming a
Premier League regular.
The Tottenham manager has
given Parrott the same pep
talk he gave McTominay
before blooding the Scot at
Manchester United,
stressing to him that he is
the ‘privileged one’ to be
exposed to the first team.
Mourinho is encouraged by
what he has seen of late, not
least by the 18-year-old’s
scoring performance for the
Under 23s against Wolves on
Monday, 24 hours after a
Premier League appearance
against the same opponents.
Mourinho, who will have
Parrott on the bench as his
team take on Norwich in the
FA Cup tonight, said: ‘I toldhim before the Wolves
game, “Every time you play
with the kids of your age,
you have to show your
colleagues why you are the
privileged one”.
‘I was not worried about
scoring goals or not scoring
goals. I was worried about
attitude. What he can do.
The way the other kids look
at him. He has to go there
and show his attitude,
professionalism and how
privileged he is.
‘Every time he was playing
with the kids, it was with the
mentality of “I shouldn’t be
here” and “I am too good tobe here”. I had the same
words with Scott McTominay.
The moment we started
changing that, lots of things
started changing for him.’
Meanwhile, Spurs have
confirmed Victor Wanyama
will join Major League
Soccer side Montreal Impact
on a free transfer.police and fans. UEFA made an
exception when allowing City to
stage a rearranged game with West
Ham on a Champions League night
last month, as the reason for the
original postponement — the impact
of Storm Ciara — was deemed to be
a force majeure which they class as
an exceptional event.
in 2013, Premier League clubs
were docked £1.12million of UEFA
television revenue as punishment
for scheduling clashes over the
previous two seasons.
But they have since signed a
memorandum of understanding,
that was renewed in 2017, pledging
it would not happen again.
However, UEFA have allowed City
and the Premier League to bend
the rules on this occasion as
well even though the date
of the Carabao Cup final
was known for over a
year and the League
have had plenty of time
to come up with an
alternative date.
C i t y a r e a l r e a d y
involved in a bitter
dispute with UEFA over
Financial Fair Play regula-
tions, with the club taking
their appeal against a two-year
Champions League ban to the Court
of Arbitration for Sport.
Arsenal were understood to be
reluctant to play next week due to
the short notice for travelling fans.
But they are willing to go along with
City’s request only due to the con-
gested fixture schedule.
if Guardiola’s side can defend their
2-1 first-leg lead against real Madrid
and continue to make progress in
the Champions League, they would
have no free midweeks for the rest
of the season.
Meanwhile, the City manager
claimed yesterday the sky is the
limit for midfielder Phil Foden after
his dazzling Wembley display, prais-
ing the youngster’s exemplary atti-
tude. Foden was man of the match
as City beat Aston Villa on Sunday
— his first start for over a month.
The midfielder (above) has notcomplained about a lack of game
time and Guardiola indicated that
approach is bearing fruit.
‘i want the best for him,’ said
Guardiola. ‘i’m delighted about his
performance and his behaviour in
the good and bad moments. He
works and it pays off. it’s about
improving.
‘With this behaviour, he can reach
whatever he wants. Every time we
decide to let him play, he plays at a
high level.’
Leroy Sane is not being consid-
e r e d f o r t o n i g h t’ s f i f t h - r o u n d
FA Cup tie at Sheffield Wednesday,
with Guardiola more likely to bring
him back into the team in the
Premier League.
Second-placed City are 22 points
behind Liverpool in the league,
which means the FA Cup and
Champions League have
grown in importance for
the club.
Sane, who was been
out for seven months
w i t h k n e e l i g a m e n t
damage, played for the
Under 23s last Friday
b u t G u a r d i o l a s a i d :
‘Leroy is not ready. Shef-
field Wednesday is an
important game. Maybe it
will be easier to play in the
league, where we don’t have a
chance to win it, than these cup
games that we need to be focused
to get through.’
Guardiola has told Joao Cancelo,
the £60m signing from Juventus, that
he is in control of his destiny. Cancelo
has made only 16 starts and was left
out of Sunday’s 22-man squad. Guar-
diola said: ‘We are here to help him. i
can suggest things but the players
have to decide the rest. if they follow
me, it’s not a problem. if they don’t
follow me, they have a problem —
their problem, not my problem.’From Back PageNo hurry:
Mourinho
is easing
Parrott
into first
team rexSTHShEFF wEd
v mAn CiTyKick-off: 7.45pm, Hillsborough.
TV: LIVE on BBC One.
Referee: Michael Oliver.TOTTEnhAm
v nOrwiCh
Kick-off: 7.45pm, Tottenham
Hotspur Stadium.
TV: LIVE on BBC iPlayer.
Referee: Paul Tierney.