The FA fears that if nothing is done the number of foreign players will simply continue to rise, squeezing out young English talent but the counter-argument is that if you manufacture a system that is – for the Premier League – ‘protectionist’ it is anti-competitive and will lead to a reduction in quality.

The Premier League clubs remain adamant they will not agree to a new system and that there will be no ‘horse-trading’. While some may well want an ‘open access’ system without any quotas at all they concede it would also be damaging. Instead the Premier League wants things to remain as they are – 17 overseas players and eight home-grown. They want the status quo.

The FA’s intentions are right but what it is asking for seems dangerous. Instead of quotas it should be pushing for the clubs, following the postponement of the sale of Wembley Stadium, to help fill the funding gap in grass-roots football. It has the money to do so and it would help improve its own image.

Helping English football from the bottom up is the answer. Not trying to force it from the top down.

Sussing out Sarri

Is Maurizio Sarri facing his Jose Bosingwa moment at Chelsea? Bosingwa was a dynamic, attacking right-back who was a key signing for Luiz Felipe Scolari when he was Chelsea manager back in 2008. There was a game against Aston Villa in October that year which finished 2-0 to Chelsea but could have been double, triple that score-line. Villa had arrived at Stamford Bridge with hopes of going top of the Premier League but were taken apart by Scolari’s system of using Bosingwa and Ashley Cole as attacking full-backs in an attractive, expansive style that had Roman Abramovich’s seal of approval. It was champagne football.