Brits Abroad: Why are so many English players heading overseas?

Gone are the days of Englishmen being confined to their own shores; moves abroad are now an appealing option, offering players the chance to embrace new cultures and offer them a new lease of life. 

Gareth Southgate’s revered England squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup was made entirely of Premier League players, making it one of only three nations at the tournament with no players based outside their domestic league.

The other two were relative minnows in the global football landscape, Russia and Saudi Arabia, a damning indictment of just how insular the English game had become.

Fast-forward eight years and that notion has been well and truly subverted with key members of the Three Lions squad now making their mark beyond the top-flight.

From Anthony Gordon to Jude Bellingham to Djed Spence, English players are now more than ever seeking pastures new on foreign soil but why is it becoming an increasingly common trend? 

New beginnings 

There is no single explanation for why English players choose to move abroad but it is more of a player-by-player case. 

Breaking into a Premier League first-team set-up can be an incredibly tricky task and a route to regular minutes can often be convoluted. Loans into the Football League have been the norm, allowing youngsters to hone their craft and adapt to the unforgiving demands of English football, but clubs are looking abroad for the same experience.

Manchester City’s Jahmai Simpson-Pusey and Reigan Heskey both jetted off to FC Köln, on permanent and loan deals respectively, and have impressed in their first few months in western Germany. 

It was a fellow ex-Manchester City youngster though who was a trailblazer for young English stars to consider going abroad. An unproven Jadon Sancho felt his path to first-team football was blocked at Manchester City, given their heavy investment in recruiting ready-made superstars, so he opted to sign for Borussia Dortmund and he quickly reaped the rewards. 

Although his career has now been defined by a disastrous stint at Manchester United, the ex-Chelsea wideman firmly asserted himself as one of Europe’s top talents during an incredibly fruitful four-season spell. 

Sancho was one of only seven English players featuring in one of Europe’s top five leagues that season but today that number stands at 29. 

Escaping the spotlight

A key reason why a move overseas can be so attractive is the opportunity to escape the intense scrutiny that comes with playing in the Premier League. 

Fikayo Tomori joined AC Milan at the start of 2021 and has remained an ever-present since, clinching the Scudetto in his first full season while being named in the Serie A Team of the Season that year.

Last summer, Trevoh Chalobah, Curtis Jones and John Stones were among several Englishmen to head to Italy and, while the trend is evident across the continent, moving abroad offers an enticing opportunity to experience new cultures and lifestyles.

The same idea can be applied to the other three so-called best divisions in Europe and while Harry Kane grabs the headlines for his record-breaking endeavors at Bayern Munich, others are flourishing too. 

Eric Dier continually struggled for consistency throughout his time at Tottenham Hotspur but moves to Bayern Munich and now Monaco have rekindled his best form. 

Jarell Quansah thrust himself into Thomas Tuchel’s thinking with a standout campaign at Bayer Leverkusen last time out, while Freddie Potts left behind boyhood club West Ham United in favour of a move to Club Brugge. 

It’s not just Europe where players have arrived with the growing popularity of the Saudi Pro League seeing England striking duo Ivan Toney and Ollie Watkins head to Al-Ahli and Al-Hilal respectively. 

Although it offers a fresh start away from the Premier League, it is also important to recognise how moving overseas can distance players from the international set-up. 

Tomori is a prime example, with the former Chelsea centre-back flourishing in Serie A but hardly getting a look in when it comes to England and Toney was a regular omission until being called up for the summer’s World Cup. 

Thomas Tuchel is a regular presence at Premier League games but is rarely seen beyond British shores - that is inevitably set to change with several of his most influential players now plying their trade across Europe.

A changing landscape 

It’s not just English players who have tasted success away from the Premier League. 

Scotland's midfield maestro Scott McTominay has propelled his game to new heights at Napoli while Ireland bagsman Troy Parrott has made a dream start to life at Real Betis following his summer switch from AZ Alkmaar. 

While not a household name, Aaron Hickey of Scotland departed Hearts for Bologna in 2020 which provided him with the platform to showcase his abilities and subsequently earn a move to Brentford. 

Also serving as a springboard for young players’ careers, moves abroad offer an alternative to the conventional route of Under-21 football, with youngsters instead seeking the value of stepping into senior football straight away.

Whether the number of English players outside the Premier League will increase remains to be seen. 

The Premier League still has, and will for the foreseeable future, the biggest pulling power of any division across the globe and is probably the driving factor behind why more players haven’t headed overseas. 

Bellingham had several offers from Premier League clubs when he decided to fly the nest of Birmingham City, but a shrewd move to a club like Borussia Dortmund was exactly what he needed at that stage of his career and it has certainly paid dividends since. 

Watching an English player on foreign soil used to be a rare sight, but with horizons broadening, playing abroad is no longer the exception yet is in fact becoming the norm.