The best ESC/EFL combos in a post-Brexit world, featuring a GBE Expert Player Report on Miliano Jonathans
Day 11 of the 12 Days of GBE Expert Hub Content
The success of a transfer in football can be very difficult to define.
It is a team game after all, and recruitment is often about individuals, but there is no definitive threshold that needs to be met that makes a piece of recruitment successful or unsuccessful.
The feedback that I have had since launching this platform has been really positive, but has also brought to light that these regulations can indeed be quite complicated and potentially restrictive to clubs who want to maximise their potential.
I genuinely believe that there are opportunities to be grabbed here for clubs who are able to crack the regs. In Scotland this means using the adaptations to bring in players that increase the quality of their first XI, in Wales and Northern Ireland it is potentially bringing in star players to give them opportunities in UEFA competition, and, for the EFL it is about using the ESC slots effectively.
ESC Conversion
Any player on an ESC can be converted into a full GBE, and therefore returning that slot to the club for use on another import if so desired.
The use of the slots is imperative to the success of the strategy.
The documentation around conversion changed in 2024. It used to be that a conversion to GBE could only happen after a year, in 2024 this changed to “after a full transfer window has passed”. I.e. February after a summer signing or September after a winter signing.
A conversion can take place if the player in question has enough international minutes to now receive an autopass, now reaches 15pts on the points based system, or has played a certain percentage of minutes for the club in the time measured.
ESC in the EFL
Way back on Day 2 of the 12 Days of content we discussed the Basics of ESC. If you haven't read that piece then I would recommend quickly using the link and doing that before reading the remainder of this piece, as a basic level of understanding of the regulations will be assumed from this point onwards.
When, in the summer of 2023, the ESC amendments to the GBE regulations dropped into the paperwork, it opened up a whole new world for recruitment in England. The more relaxed criteria listed by The FA meant that recruitment teams in the Premier League and the EFL, who had spent the last two years realigning their teams and processes to the GBE rules, now had to rethink what best practice looked like.
Some clubs went for the jugular that very same summer. Stoke City went out and tested the FA’s boundaries straight away by signing five players that looked to be ESC, only we know that Championship clubs only have four slots, so we must assume that one, at least, went through under GBE. This is a reminder that there is no official list of which players go through under which type of GBE, so the best (as far as we are aware) data that is available on this is The GBE Expert Hub’s records…
Sunderland, QPR, Norwich, and Blackburn, are the only other clubs to have joined Stoke City in going through the ESC process more than three times. As we can see, these are all Championship clubs, and all of them have, or had, foreign links.
Barnsley have used the ESC market three times, according to our records, which is unsurprising, given their propensity to look wider than most EFL clubs when it comes to recruitment. Eagle-eyed readers may notice that the fact that Barnsley have used ESC three times must mean that they have converted a player, as League One and League Two clubs only have two slots to use at any one time.
Looking at the list of the highest fees paid for EFL/ESC transfers it is noticeable that most players are in their early 20s. This is probably their first major contract and, as such, can represent a risk.
There is a real mix of leagues and nationalities in the list, with no single nationality or club represented twice.
In terms of which clubs are buying this talent at the highest prices, Norwich show up three times in the top ten, showing that they are taking this market head on. The aforementioned Stoke are also on the list twice.
Sunderland sneak on at the bottom, and Blackburn aren't on there at all, which suggests that they are perhaps shopping the ESC market bargain bin.
In terms of outright successes from the list above, it is still early for many. Mads Hermansen is a definite success though, playing every minute he was available for in Leicester's title winning season, and now putting up a good showing in the Premier League.
Wouter Burger was very much borderline ESC or GBE, but regardless, he was a fixture in the Stoke team whenever fit and he won't be occupying an ESC slot for Stoke anymore regardless.
Most of the others joined in summer 2024, but only Ante Crnac, and possibly, José Cordoba, both of Norwich, look like potential conversions in February.
Positive outcomes
It is interesting when trying to assess how successful some of the ESC transfers have been as the maximum time that any of them have had would be around 17 months or so. This is far too little a timeframe to judge some pieces of recruitment.
However, some pieces of business look pretty good from the perspective of the purchasing club.
Wilson Isidor - 24 - FW - Sunderland
The Sunderland forward has filled the gaping #9 hole that had been there since Ross Stewart left.
Signed from Zenit St.Petersberg (B4) initially on loan, but with an option to buy, the Frenchman has had a promisisng start to life in the Championship with five goals.
Torbjørn Heggem - 25 - DF - West Brom
The big Norwegian has been a fixture in Carlos Corberan's defence since his arrival from Brommapojkarna (B5) in the summer.
This is a great example of looking outside of the major clubs even in Band 5.
Maël de Gevigney - 25 - CB - Barnsley
De Gevigney was signed from the second tier in France (B4) in the summer of 2023, so a quick use of ESC by the Barnsley recruitment team. He went on to play in 40 League One matches, including the playoff semi-finals, and has played over 5000 minutes in League One already.
Tyler Bindon - 19 - CB - Reading
Reading had to make sure that any of their recruitment kept the right side of the rules under their embargo, but they managed to bring in the New Zealand international as an 18yo last summer from the LAFC Academy. 5000 League One minutes later Bindon is on many radars for a potential January move up the ladder.
Jeremy Kelly - 27 - MF - Crawley
Kelly was one of the most creative pieces of recruitment in League Two last season. Kelly helped Crawley achieve a very unexpected promotion via the playoffs and has now played 1500 minutes at League One level, and looks the part. There may not be any great resale given his age, but there might be some profit in it given that he arrived on a free following a USLC campaign with Memphis 901.
Alassana Jatta - 25 - FW - Notts County
County are another club who tend to approach recruitment differently and they went to Denmark to bring in the Gambian forward in January from Viborg. 12 goals in 24 appearances later in League Two already means that his value is greater than when they brought him in, and he still may yet power County to promotion on the way.
This is not an exhaustive list of positive outcomes, but gives a good sample of how ESC can be used up and down the EFL.
Players that have already left
Of course, a fact of football recruitment is that it doesn't always go as well as one might've hoped. Despite ESC knly having been in play since last summer, some clubs have already said goodbye to some of their ESC signings.
This isn't always a bad thing. Indeed, a plan should be in place for club and player as to how that ESC spot should become unoccupied in future. Selling the player or allowing their contract to run out is an option.
Leo Wahlstedt - 25 - GK - Blackburn - now AGF
The Swedish goalkeeper came in from Odd (B5) with a good reputation to challenge Aynsley Pears and replace Thomas Kaminski. He did get a chance in the team, but never looked convincing. Moved, in summer 2024, to AGF in Denmark (B4) for the same fee as he moved to Ewood with.
Point to note:
Loanees still have their registration held by their parent club, as well as, if applicable, the loan club, so those players that signed on an ESC basis but have subsequently been sent out on loan are still occupying a an ESC slot.
This fact makes planning possible loans really important. Ryan Mmaee and Nikola Jojic are currently out on loan, but not in places that are likely to allow them to come back GBE qualified.
This may not be important in the long run, especially if they are planned to be permanently sold, but it might've been helpful to get them back able to be converted.
Mileta Rajovic, and Nectarios Triantis are two further examples of the same issue.
What is the key learning so far?
The ESC scene has been fairly experimental in nature so far.
The teams with decent budgets i.e. Championship teams, and those with models that actively encourage player trading seem to have been the ones that have been most active in the ESC arena. However, when scouring the list of ESC transfers looking for success stories, the more obvious ones were from the lower league clubs.
With Stockport County taking a page out of the Grimsby Town playbook by announcing a signing of an Icelandic player direct from Iceland (insert joke about shopping at Iceland for Christmas here), it is surely only a matter of time before other League One and League Two clubs also jump on the bandwaggon.
Hopefully it will constitute more than bandwaggon jumping though. Recruitment teams and management strategy have had 18 months of these rules now, and the time for exploration in the market could be upon us.
The experimentation that other EFL clubs have provided has given some guidance for places to look for other recruitment teams, but some other markets remain untapped for their potential.
This is where The GBE Expert Hub are well positioned to help any club who feels like they want to look towards the edges of the market. We can arrange a bespoke service for any club who wants to explore these markets to beat the competition.
I am going to make the prediction, which can be tested over the next few years, that the majority of ESC transfers will end up being from Band 6 leagues.
In theory, ESC transfers can originate from any league, and, actually, the domestic clauses in the documentation actually require a player to be playing in the Band 1-5 leagues, but, I suspect that, eventually, value could be sought in the wild lands of Band 6 i.e. the rest of the world.
To which, we present just such a player for you. Currently playing in the second tier in the Netherlands, a Band 6 league, but qualifying for ESC on the basis of his appearances in the Eredivisie (B2) last season, and with a 2025 contract expiry on Transfermarkt, he is a player that is surely high on many clubs’ lists…
Biographical Details
Name: MILIANO JONATHANS
Age/D.o.B: 20 (05.04.2004)
Citizenship: Netherlands
Position(s): RW
Club: Vitesse Arnhem, Netherlands (Band 6)
Height: Approx 178cm
Preferred foot: Left
TM Market Value: £400K
Contract: Expiry: 30.06.2025 - *APPROACHING END OF CONTRACT*
Current wage (FM24 estimate): N/A
GBE Status:
ESC Status: Pass (Eredivisie 23/24 appearances)
Match Info
Observed: 30th October 2024 vs RKC Waalwijk (KNVB Beker) - high difficulty
Final score: 1-3
Shape: 4-2-3-1 (vs 4-1-3-2)
Brief match report: Vitesse started the match on the front foot versus opposition from the division above. They created a handful of moderate shooting opportunities inside the first ten minutes with Jonathans at heart of their creativity. But it was RKC that took the lead, against the run of play, through Richonell Margaret in the 10th minute.
RKC slowly wrestled control of the first half and doubled their lead just before the half hour mark when a long range strike from Godfried Roemeratoe deflected in off his own striker, Oskar Zawada. The game was taken from Vitesse’s reach just three minutes later when centre-back Dario Van Den Buijs scored from a second phase of a corner.
The 3-0 halftime scoreline was harsh on Vitesse. They gave themselves a slight chance of a comeback when they pulled a goal back 15 minutes into the second half. It was the goal of the game with 20yr old Georgian, Irakli Yegoian finishing a multi-pass move with a powerful shot from the edge of the box.
The match finished 3-1 to RKC. Vitesse played a sophisticated, intricate style that belied their lowly Eerste Divisie league position but showed defensive naivety which was their downfall.
Match report
Effectiveness of role
Jonathans played as an inverting right winger, a role that perfectly fits his skillset. The majority of Vitesse’s playing patterns were designed to get the ball to Jonathans in a 1v1 scenario against RKC left-back, Juan Familia-Castillo.
Jonathans took up a starting position close to the touchline and appreciated receiving the ball on his strong left foot. Jonathans was immensely positive in his actions and persistently looked to take on his opponent before delivering either a cross or a shot.
Physical attributes
Jonathans is approximately 5’10, he was uncompetitive in aerial duels, not displaying a good leap. Jonathans also struggles with his upper body strength when body to body with an opponent and, from video, looks like he could fill out around the shoulders. His lack of strength was mostly an issue in defensive phases of play when trying to help his fullback.
Jonathans showed that he is highly capable with his left foot and prefers to dribble inside, but he trusts his right foot and will attack on the outside if a defender over compensates. He has good acceleration from a standing start and maintains pace over a medium distance. His speed is essential to negating his lack of strength as he regularly puts space in between himself and his direct opponent.
Technical skill
Jonathans displayed superb dribbling ability. He runs at pace with great close ball control which enables him to attack either side of the defender facing him. He has a repeatable ploy where he gets to the corner of the penalty area before chopping inside and delivering an inswinging cross. Jonathans is happy to attack the byline when he recognises that that’s where the space is, but his delivery with his right foot is less consistent.
Jonathans showed a willingness to shoot. On his left side, Jonathans favoured whipping the ball towards the opposite corner and he looks comfortable with this action. On his right side, Jonathans prefers striking the ball with his laces and adopting power. Twice in the game he shot over the crossbar with his right foot when a more delicate, placeful shot was an alternative option.
With improvement of the use of his right foot, Jonathans can become a multi-dimensional attacking threat.
Decision making under pressure
Jonathans remained unrushed and composed under pressure. He is patient and holds his position as play is developing. When on the ball he sets the defender up to try and attack the centre of the pitch but realises when the defender has over-compensated and will attack where the space is.
Jonathans showed one element of great composure in the penalty area when under duress. Keeping relaxed and pausing play until a midfielder made a box-crushing run, then he laid a ball into his path for a shot at goal.
Psych & Social
The only evidence of any laziness was one moment where Jonathans was looking directly across RKC’s backline but was flagged offside when receiving a long diagonal pass.
Jonathans was persistent in his attacking nature no matter the game state.
Jonathans is brave and happy to receive the ball into his feet even when a defender is paying him close attention.
Any other business
I believe Miliano Jonathans to be a player of significant potential. Enough to make him of interest to, not only Championship clubs, but Premier League teams who could send him on a developmental loan to aid his growth and also turn his ESC slot into a full work permit.
Verdict
Key strengths
Sought after profile
Exceptional dribbling
Brave in possession
Constant attacking threat
Risks to mitigate
Needs to achieve more consistency with his right foot to take his game to the next level
Still has some physical development to make
Current level recommendation
CH- - Lower range of Championship
Potential level recommendation
PL - Mid range of Premier League