Venables: Imports Are Damaging England

• The Guardian, Friday, February 16, 2007 2:54 PM

English coach Terry Venables believes the influx of young players from other parts of the world, is hindering the development of young talent in England. He says teams like Arsenal place too great an emphasis on signing foreign players at a young age rather than developing talent from their own academies. "When I was playing, it was just Great Britain that clubs picked from. You had to be the best in Great Britain, which wasn't easy. But today you've got to be the best in the world," he says, "which makes it difficult for local boys."
 
Other English coaches agree. Graham Taylor, who succeeded him as England coach, said the "greed" of the Premiership ultimately hurt the national team. "I was told the Premier League was being formed to help the England team," he said, lamenting that the top-flight league is solely "based on greed and power. Now it's coming back to haunt them."
 
Venables, now England's assistant coach, would know a thing or two about player development at big clubs: as a player he represented England at every level; as a manager he was in charge of Crystal Palace, Queen's Park Rangers, La Liga's Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur and the England national team, which he coached to a semifinal finish at Euro '96.

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