Game Changer – review

The Independent

by Simon Redfern

This examination of the Premier League's birth 20 years ago and its subsequent flourishing begins in Singapore, where Liverpool are on a lucrative pre-season tour. That, and the fact it is published by an imprint dedicated to Asian business affairs, are eloquent evidence of the global interest English football's top flight now inspires.

Less satisfactory for many English supporters is the increasing foreign ownership of clubs and the declining number of home-grown players detailed here. The appendix reveals – a favourite word of the author – that Arsenal's 30-man squad in the League's first season comprised 24 England-qualified players and six foreigners, of which two were Scottish and one Irish. Their figures for this season are six and 34 respectively. Read more