Following England’s march to the semi-finals of the World Cup last summer, there was a tremendous sense of optimism amongst fans in the UK.
However, this must still be caveated by the paucity of British players in the UK top-flight, with only 53 UK-born stars representing their clubs in the EPL on December 31st last year.
This was less than a quarter of all starters, whilst it’s estimated that less than 30% of all Premier League footballers were born in the UK.
But which UK regions produce the most EPL players, and why is this case? Let’s find out!
Which UK Regions Produce the Most Top-flight Footballers?
London
Unsurprisingly, it’s London that produces the highest number of EPL players, with 111 having been born in the capital.
This makes sense, of course, as there’s a high concentration of clubs in the captial, including Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs, West Ham United and Crystal Palace.
Chelsea have also increased their pool of UK-born players since the appointment of former player Frank Lampard as manager, with club academy graduates Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount establishing themselves as regular starters since the beginning of the season.
North West
Next up is the North West, with clubs such as Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool contributing 69 UK-born players to the EPL.
The Red Devils arguably dominate in this respect, however, with their matchday squad for the recent EPL game at Southampton featuring seven British-born stars (at least four of which were born and bred in Manchester).
Although, after a tough start to the season, it’s looking like the bookies prediction that United would be 5th favourites to win the title wasn’t a great shout.
Liverpool also rely heavily on British linchpins and home-bred talent like Trent Alexander-Arnold, whilst the precocious Phil Foden regularly represents his boyhood club Manchester City, who are currently in scintillating form so it’s worth taking advantage on any
So, although there’s a larger number of UK stars that have heralded from London, it’s arguably that the North West continues to produce the most talented British footballers.
Are North West Players Really the Best?
Players like Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling are certainly high quality, and both certainly feature in plenty of football betting tips and predictions, particularly given the success of City in recent times.
This was also borne out by a further investigation of the numbers, which revealed that the combined FIFA scores of the best 11 North West players peaked at an impressive 873.
This total was only matched by Yorkshire, who managed to overcome a relative paucity of native players by producing stellar names like Jamie Vardy and Manchester City duo John Stones and Kyle Walker.
Interestingly, the North East struggled to produce a full, 4-4-2 complement when comparing FIFA rankings, as this region has produced stellar midfielders like Jordan Henderson but a noticeable lack of defenders.
However, this side at least contained England World Cup stopper Jordan Pickford, who’s the highest-ranked keeper in any UK region and remains a top-rated performer on FIFA.
You can see the full findings published here, as you compare each of the UK’s regional sides and determine which outfit would top the theoretical table.