Juan Agudelo’s proposed move to Stoke City has collapsed after the New England Revolution striker failed to receive the necessary work permit that would allow him to play inthe English Premier League. Stoke City had appealed to the English FA in the hope that it could bring the 20-year-old USA international to the Premier League in January, but the club’s appealwas rejected on Thursday.
Work permit regulations in England require that players from outside the European Union play in 75 percent of competitive games for their country in the prior yearbefore being accepted as an exceptional talent that would benefit the EPL. The player’s national team must also be ranked in the top 70 in the world by FIFA.
Stoke manager MarkHughes called the news “hugely disappointing” for the club and “devastating for the lad.” He added: “No doubt somebody in Europe will pick him up and he will bea sensation somewhere else, unfortunately.” Work permit regulations are much less stringent in other EU countries.