Kenyan Stars set to make waves in the EPL
By Vincent Voiyoh, June 30, 2023Kenyan and East African players have received a major boost in the fulfilment of their dreams of playing in the lucrative English Premier League and Championship after the Football Association changed transfer rules that had for a long-time blocked some great players from featuring in the mentioned leagues due tough and necessary points requirements.
In the new development, Premier League Clubs will now be able to sign up to four foreign players per season who do not meet the current point requirements of the international visa guidelines. The rule will also be the same for second-tiered Championship teams.
The revisions of the transfer regulations by the FA mean there could be more Kenyans playing in the EPL shortly.
Some of the recent players to have been linked to English Premier League clubs include Harambee Stars skipper Michael Olunga, left-back Eric Ouma and centre-back Joseph Stanley Okumu.
The move is a major deal for English clubs looking to secure signatures for overseas players.
Initially, Premier League teams had to wait for appropriate work permits on foreign talents before making official signings. However, some transfers may no longer need this paperwork.
The FA noted that the change of regulations would give additional access to top-notch international stars which falls outside the current GBE criteria.
Last month, the Liverpool Echo reported that Everton was monitoring Michael Olunga, sparking excitement amongst local football enthusiasts, hopeful to see the former Gor Mahia forward to Goodison Park from Qatar’s Al Duhail where he has flourished for three seasons.
Kenyan football agent Jamal Ibrahim, of Atotos Sports Management, has lauded the move noting that it is good news for East African players.
“This will help our players, I had a similar situation with my player Eric Ouma Marcelo who had attracted interest from a Premier League club but the move was not successful because of the GBE requirements. However, the new move is good for the players, it means a player can be signed by any team because of his talent even if he is from a country that is not well-established in international football. In Kenya, we have so much potential to export some of our talents to the English Premier League.
A player like Olunga is very capable of doing well there, we’ve seen what he can do already in other leagues,” Ibrahim told People Sport.
Victor Wanyama, now plying his trade in Major League Soccer with Montreal Impact is the only Kenyan to have played in the English Premier having featured for Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur respectively.