Why English Players Should Move Abroad

It is no secret that our issues with the national team are being blamed on those 'average' foreign players that get brought into the Premier League on smaller pay packets. The England National Team is apparently worse off because of this, and the idea of a 'B Team League' has been brushed off with barely a whimper - after all, how is the English team going to benefit from more players playing at a lower standard...?

If the FA will not put rules in place to restrict the amount of players from across Europe joining our league, surely English players should be looking to seek moves to clubs outside of our own nation. There are barely any British players plying their trade across Europe's other big leagues, and I think this is part of our downfall.

In the Premiership, we have a huge amount of Spanish, French, Dutch and German players. Players who are mostly internationals, and some who are absolutely World Class.. On the other hand, the only player in Woy's squad to play outside of the Premier League is Fraser Forster.. Of Celtic.

I was frustrated with Tom Ince when he turned down a move to Inter Milan, stating that he has 'unfinished business' in the Premiership. This isn't the case. He is still young and can return to the PL after 5 potentially brilliant seasons playing for one of Italy's top clubs - but no. He'll probably move to Hull, or Crystal Palace and be constantly ignored by the National team because he isn't at a big club. He has the potential to be one of the most effective wingers in Europe, and this lack of ambition really frustrates me.

I have read recently that Fraser Forster has been linked with a move to Athletico Madrid and I think this would be a brilliant move for him. I really rate Forster, but it's clear that playing for Celtic has seen him considered only 3rd choice for England. I think he's far better than Ben Foster, and, provided he's playing for a World Class team on a regular basis, he could really push Joe Hart for the Number 1 spot... But staying in Scotland would see him fester into that average 3rd choice role for the rest of his career.

Yes, the Premier League is one of the best leagues in the World - and there are a lot of British players drawn to that - but if you have the option of Inter Milan or Hull, surely it's a no brainer?! Gareth Bale took the plunge and went to Real Madrid, and he is clearly enjoying that - but even that took a World Record fee.

Look at Joey Barton, succeeding at Marseille a couple of seasons back. Joe Cole had a bit of a revival in France with Lille - but has since failed at West Ham, and even Bradley Wright-Phillips looks a decent player playing alongside Tim Cahill and Thierry Henry in the MLS, moving there from Charlton.

Let's imagine that Tom Cleverley goes abroad along with Micah Richards, Ryan Shawcross and Andros Townsend. Four players that have potential to be good enough for the England team, but are wasting time stuck at their current clubs - happy to be average. Shawcross could get into almost any squad in Europe and would be great in the heart of an English defence, Richards was a brialliant youngster but has since rotted away on Man City's bench and cannot shift Zabaleta from that right back slot. Townsend too would be brilliant in La Liga or Serie A, and Cleverley could even do a decent job in the Bundesliga. But it is just not going to happen.. The draw of the Premier League is too great, even if it means a player's career suffering because of it.

The amount of players you could list who have 'wasted potential' goes on - you look at Jack Rodwell, Scott Sinclar, Ravel Morrison, Wilf Zaha, Conor Wickham.. All players who are not getting game time in the biggest competitions because they would rather stick it out at an average English team, or convince themselves that they're going to knock Juan Mata or Yaya Toure out of the starting lineups of their clubs. Not going to happen. Move on. Live a little. Reach that potential!

Cool. Rant over. Thanks for reading.