Homegrown player rule makes dream Isco move very unlikely for Tottenham

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Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a whole host of big names in recent weeks. One such player who had Tottenham fans very excited was Isco. The Real Madrid star has been a long-term favourite of Mauricio Pochettino’s and Spurs appear to be linked everytime Isco drops to the Real Madrid bench.

That has been the case recently. Santiago Solari is certainly not using the Spanish international in the same way as Jule Lopetegui or Zinedine Zidane had been.

The Sun recently reported that Spurs were keen on the player, along with Arsenal and Chelsea.

It obviously got Spurs fans excited, such is the talent of the player.

However, a report in Football.London suggests why a deal for the player is extremely unlikely.

They suggest that Tottenham could not sign Juan Fernando Quintero this summer because of homegrown player rules.

Teams must have eight homegrown players in their 25-man squads. However, that squad size reduces the fewer homegrown players are present. Tottenham only have six at present, Kieran Trippier, Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Ben Davies, Danny Rose and Harry Winks. Someone like Eric Dier, despite being an English international from Cheltenham, does not qualify as he came through the academy at Sporting Lisbon.

That means they can only name a Premier League squad of 23. The later loaned out Connor Ogilvie, for example, was included in the summer to bump the ‘HG’ players to seven and overall squad to 24.

With that in mind, Isco’s arrival would have to see a foreign player currently in Tottenham’s squad sold first before any deal could go ahead.