Man City to negotiate ‘big-money’ transfer boost after PL chiefs meet in the last 24 hours – pundit
Noel Whelan has suggested top clubs like Man City could make a “big-money” saving in the transfer market if changes to the League Cup force them to use more youth stars.
The former Leeds striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, claimed the proposed changes can only “help the English game”.
According to The Times (5 January) six leading figures from the Premier League, FA and EFL met in person for the very first time on Friday (6 January) to discuss a number of proposals from top-flight clubs.
Chief among the ideas is restricting clubs participating in European competitions to only fielding youth sides in the League Cup.
Other proposals include scrapping FA Cup replays and playing the curtain-raising Community Shield match abroad to boost the profile of the game.
The League Cup returns next week, with eight-time winners Man City facing Southampton in the quarter-finals on Wednesday (11 January).
Whelan told Football Insider’s Ewan Kingsbury: “It’s difficult because we know how many games these top sides play.
“I completely understand why they’re looking to change it.
“But these changes could help the English game. It will bring young players through to a much higher standard.
“It could also save these clubs big money in the transfer market, too. Because you’re seeing a lot from players who wouldn’t normally get the chance.
“It’s not disrespecting the competition; it’s just realising that this volume of games is not sustainable.
“The amount of injuries we’ve seen is just awful. We want to see the best players out on the pitch in the biggest games.”
In other news, Agbonlahor claims Erling Haaland could “lash out” after Man City latest – “he’s not getting his own way”.