Emanuele Tramacere
Aug 14, 2026 05:35 +08:00
Translated by Inter, hat-trick of Englishmen: Curtis Jones after John Stones and Djed Spence? How the rule on non-EU players and those from the United Kingdom works after Brexit
Inter | C. Jones | J. Stones | D. Spence | England
Is it possible to register three English players in a single transfer window? Inter have long since put a very clear strategy in place in the transfer market. The Nerazzurri want to match the competitiveness and intensity of the Premier League by signing players from that league who fit their style of play. Last year Akanji arrived from Manchester City, and in this transfer window alone Inter have signed John Stones (on a free transfer after leaving City), while Djed Spence from Tottenham will soon be announced too, after lengthy talks with Spurs over Romero. But the Nerazzurri do not want to stop there and are also trying to complete the signing of Curtis Jones from Liverpool. He would be the third Englishman in a single transfer window, but under the rules and after Brexit, is it really possible?
Brexit
Since the United Kingdom voted for Brexit several years ago, British citizens, including English, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish citizens, have no longer been part of the European Community and are therefore considered non-EU nationals. In football, though, the rules are slightly different and, from the 2024/2025 season, the regulations were amended specifically to make it easier for British footballers to move to Italy and the rest of Europe.
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The rule on Albanian and English players
Swiss footballers are treated exactly the same as EU players. After an initial standardisation in 2023, the FIGC had to change the rules at the start of the 2024/2025 season to comply with the "Legal provisions governing the entry flows of foreign workers". The official statement reads: "for Serie A clubs only, without prejudice to compliance with the current legal provisions governing the entry flows of foreign workers into Italy, the registration of only one British professional footballer and only one Albanian professional footballer per club, arriving from abroad, is permitted, outside the limits laid down for non-EU footballers".
How can Inter sign three of them?
If the regulations talk about "only one British player", how can Inter register three? And how will they be able to sign Djed Spence once he has passed his medical? The answer is simple: that clause in the regulations lets them register one British player, in this case English, as an EU player, but it does not stop them registering others while still staying within the non-EU slots that also apply to every other country in the world.
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The regulations on non-EU slots
For every Serie A club, the rules on registering non-EU players are clear, with four possible scenarios depending on the make-up of the squad before the transfer window opens.
- 0 players from outside the EU in the squad: a maximum of 3 players from outside the EU can be registered
- 1 player from outside the EU in the squad: a maximum of 2 players from outside the EU can be registered
- 2 players from outside the EU in the squad: a maximum of 2 players from outside the EU can be registered
- More than 2 players from outside the EU in the squad: a maximum of 2 players from outside the EU can be registered, with one of the two, at the time the registration request is made, having been called up and included in the matchday squad for at least 2 official matches for his national team in the previous 12 months or for 5 official matches for his national team in his career.
Inter cases
Inter fall squarely into the final category: clubs with two slots available, but required to use one of them on a player of "national-team" level. Stones and Spence both meet that requirement with ease, having been called up and played key roles even at the last World Cup. Curtis Jones also fits the category, with 6 appearances and 1 goal for the senior England team. If Inter were also to complete the deal with Liverpool, they would use both non-EU slots as well as the slot for British players as EU players for the three Englishmen.