Thaindian News

London, July 27 (ANI): Premier League managers, it seems, don’t like to sign Englishmen.

An investigation carried out by The Sun reveals that club managers are reluctant and uncomfortable about signing on English footballers.Take for example Arsene Wenger. In his 14 years as manager of Arsenal, Wenger has brought in 83 players at a cost of 250-million-pounds, but only seven have been English.That means just eight per cent of Wenger’s signings, or 21-million-pounds of his outlay, account for Englishmen.

Wigan’s Spanish manager Roberto Martinez is level with Wenger on eight per cent, having signed just one Englishman out of 12 since getting the job in June last year.Israeli coach Avram Grant, who took charge at West Ham earlier this summer, has never signed an English player.Liverpool supremo Roy Hodgson has made 39 signings in his stints in the Premier League, including his spells at Fulham and Blackburn - and only 23 per cent have been English. That puts him in 12th place in our table.

The man who has done most to encourage English talent in terms of buying them is Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill.

An impressive 60 per cent of O’Neill’s 50 signings at Villa and Leicester have been English.

British bosses Tony Pulis, Alex McLeish, Harry Redknapp, Owen Coyle and Steve Bruce are next on the list. (ANI)