Yep. Ligue 1 clubs can only have four players in a squad who are either non-EU or non-Cotonou Agreement (which Jamaica is a part of). Greenwood's Jamaican passport opens up a spot.
The Bellamy Wales reign is one of the more interesting journeys to witness at the moment. The squads and teams they put out are pretty wild. Currently they have got a starting team of 2 PL starters, 3 options that haven’t played in the PL this season (and might not get much time all season), 1 off the bench PL option, 3 Championship players and 2 League One players. Bellamy is basically playing a keeper and back three. The keeper and two of the CB’s are not playing football atm and a league one playing 19 year old. Talk about brave. Why has he not started Brooks who has started two PL games for Bournemouth? Maybe doesn’t fit the system or something. People have highlighted how aggressive they are with dual nationals but they basically have zero depth and no options to bring into the squad other than youngsters.
Yet he's got them playing above themselves. Been watching how they press really well yet our lazy prima Donnas can't be arsed doing that.
Yeah for as aggressively as they can cap, I don't really know anyone they cap tied who wasn't at least somewhat of a regular in their squads for at least a while. Even in their golden years they still regularly had League One, sometimes even League Two players getting called up so really a player just needs to be good enough to become a League One standard player for them, which isn't that huge a leap for the players they do cap. It says it all that Josh Sheehan is a 30 year old who has never played a single game above League One level has been a squad regular for half a decade now, and indeed starts today.
He doesn’t even seem to be a regular starter for Bolton either. Kazakhstan really should have got something from that game. Could have even won it. I’m not sure Wales will be able to keep grinding things out like this with the options available.
This is all correct, just to add more context: this situation is the result of the Kolpak ruling, and you can see the impacted nations who are exempt (due to the Cotonou Agreement) here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/EU_status_(football) If a player is British but has ancestry from one of these nations, he can go get a passport and use that to count as an EU player. This makes it much easier for French teams to build rosters by signing other non-EU players, and it makes the British players much more valuable to French teams. This works in Spain as well, where similar limits on non-EU players exist, as well as in smaller leagues like Denmark, Hungary and Romania that also limit non-EU players but treat Cotonou nations as EU. Greenwood is not the only well known English-Jamaican player to have obtained a Jamaican passport to make his life easier in France. Jonathan Rowe also has a Jamaican passport, which he obtained in February. (French link, just translate) https://madeinfoot.ouest-france.fr/...it-obtenu-son-passeport-jamaicain-471431.html When both Rowe and Greenwood got their passports, they made it possible for Marseille to sign Angel Gomes and CJ Egan Riley without bumping into the non-EU limit (Rowe's early exit from the club wasnt foreseen at the time). Joshua Duffus, an English player who originally played for Brighton and was in the England U19s last year, got a Jamaican passport to make it possible to sign for a French Ligue 2 club. He could not have secured that contract without the passport, as the article below explains. https://www.francebleu.fr/sports/fo...enfin-un-joueur-de-l-as-saint-etienne-8098512 These players can all play for Jamaica now that they have passports, but that doesn't mean that they ever will.
What makes you think that? I mean he might in time but would find it slightly surprising if he is already after scoring the winning goal in the U21 Championships only a few months ago.
He could do that if he wanted to, but there are no signs of him wanting to. He didn't obtain the passport to play for Jamaica, he did it to enhance his value in Ligue 1.
At least FIFA has rules to prevent what Turkey has returned to doing in Athletics - buying up mainly Jamaican and Nigerian athletes with zero connection. If FIFA allowed that they are several countries not just Turkey who would attempt it.
Kieffer Moore now has 15 goals for Wales. I think the record for an English born player playing for another nation is 19 (jointly held by Aldridge and Cascarino).
I doubt that Rowe will ever be good enough for England but I probably would've said that about Spence a few yars ago too.
As a winger probably not but if he can develop as a striker then who knows? Doesn't Lookman who didn't see a pathway as a winger also play more of a striker role these days (could be totally wrong about his position I have to admit)?
Lookman is a great example of why I wouldn't be blasé about losing any dual nationals who are playing in a top five league. Imagine someone telling you six years ago that in 2025 McTominay and Lookman would be leagues ahead of Dele Alli and Sancho.
It's begun. From the tartan army website That is not how I read it. He says he felt he wasn't good enough to represent England. I am presuming that is why he chose to represent us at youth levels. He jumped ship when he realised or felt he was good enough to represent England. It was never about any affinity to us then - he basically used us purely for the betterment of himself. Odious twat.
Why are they so surprised about this? I mean it’s pretty much the same case for all duals born and raised in England. I bet Che Adams would have played for us if good enough and I bet if he’s honest once he retires he would say as much if he was deeply honest. The only exception I can think of is McTomminey.
Greenwood still unlikely to play for England. Mason Greenwood has done a u-turn with Jamaica but he is unlikely to wear an England shirt again https://t.co/xnsp5RXcG0— Charlie Wyett (@CharlieWyett) September 5, 2025
England ballboy plan to stop best young footballers defecting https://www.thetimes.com/sport/foot...op-best-young-footballers-defecting-zdq5wkn2v Spoiler (Move your mouse to the spoiler area to reveal the content) Show Spoiler Hide Spoiler FA wants to make academy players on fringes of national under-15 team feel valued. So it is pressing them into duty at Villa Park for Andorra match. England are using a novel weapon in the growing battle between nations for the best young talent — ballboys. When Thomas Tuchel’s side play Andorra at Villa Park, ballboy duties will be fulfilled by players from the periphery of the England Under-15 squad, in what is becoming a regular practice at home senior international fixtures. The idea is to demonstrate to the youngsters they are valued by the FA, even if they are not deemed quite ready for caps at junior level. It is seen as a way of persuading them to stick with the England pathway rather than switch to another country for which they may be eligible. About 75 per cent of players of academy age who are eligible for England also qualify to represent at least one other nation and the scramble for talent is becoming increasingly fierce. “The badge used to be enough but now you have to offer more,” a source said. It is hoped that, through their ballboy experiences, the budding Lions will gain an insight into what is involved in playing for England’s senior side, and they will be stationed at parts of the stadium befitting their own roles on the pitch. The forwards among the youngsters, for example, will be positioned closest to where Harry Kane is likely to operate in the game. Adding to their experience, the under-15 side attended St George’s Park and received talks from the FA technical director, John McDermott, and the former England internationals Andy Johnson and Dion Dublin. Using young players as ballboys also has the advantage of helping to increase their footballing awareness, which should make them quicker and more efficient at their jobs — important, given Tuchel wants England to keep a high tempo in Saturday’s match. His England side could feature several players eligible to play for other countries, including Elliot Anderson, who came close to representing Scotland before deciding his future lies with England. Such is the fight for talent that other nations are now holding training camps on English soil, to allow English-resident youngsters to have a taste of their set-ups without having to travel. The third edition of the Unity Cup, which took place in May and featured Ghana, Jamaica, Nigeria and Trinidad and Tobago, was held at the Brentford Community Stadium to provide a tournament local to those countries’ huge diasporas in London.
The England talents poached from the national team: A Germany jewel who was persuaded to switch, the star whose DAD convinced him to play for Ghana, and the Wales ace who Gareth Southgate never contacted https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/f...allers-defected-England-Gareth-Southgate.html