How Premier League Academies Are Shaping a More Competitive League

The Premier League competitiveness is rising due to academy-trained talents flourishing across clubs. Although academy graduates’ minutes dropped from 11.2% (2021-22) to 6.2% (2024-25), 19 of England’s Euro 2024 squad were EPPP products. Of 210 players with 900+ PL minutes this season (under 28), 76 came through English academies, but only 17 stayed at their original clubs.

With the rise of academy-developed players across the Premier League, the competition has grown more balanced and competitive. Although academy graduates' share of minutes has dropped from 11.2% in 2021-22 to 6.2% this season, their impact is significant. Only 17 of 72 homegrown players with 900+ minutes remain at their original clubs, while over four times that number thrive elsewhere, particularly outside the Big Six. Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 England squad had 19 of 26 players trained under the EPPP system.

Players like Cole Palmer, sold by Manchester City for £42.5 million, flourished at Chelsea with 22 goals and 11 assists. Fulham's success features ex-Arsenal trio Emile Smith Rowe, Reiss Nelson, and Alex Iwobi. Nottingham Forest rely heavily on ex-academy players like Anthony Elanga, Morgan Gibbs-White, and Callum Hudson-Odoi. Newcastle’s 4-3 win over Forest saw 14 of 22 starters as academy products.

Aston Villa, Bournemouth, and others have also climbed the table with EFL-honed talents. A CIES report noted the Premier League trained 73 World Cup 2022 players — the most globally. As a result, the current five-point gap between fourth and tenth is the narrowest since 1992-93, proving that academy development has democratized the league’s competitiveness.