Why now is the best time for British players to experience life in Serie A and beyond

A sudden trend has emerged in recent seasons across Europe, where we've seen British players become the fulcrum of sides outside the Premier League. 

Seeing players head to foreign lands is nothing new, but it feels like we're now in a place where it's more common than ever, and players are joining big teams in the continent's most elite leagues. 

Harry Kane is ripping up records at Bayern, Jude Bellingham is running the show in Madrid and Scott McTominay has become Napoli's most important player in their Serie A title-winning team. 

Those may well be the headline acts, but several others have made the jump to play abroad, and it feels like it's never been a better time for British players to experience life in another league. 

 

If you know your history 

Obviously, British players moving abroad is nothing new; you can go back to John Charles, who became a legend at Juventus in the late 1950s, and Kevin Keegan, who was European Footballer of the Year while at Hamburg in the 1970s. 

However, it wasn't until the next decade that the notion started to gain more traction, particularly in Italy, where names such as Trevor Francis, Ray Wilkins, and Mark Hateley starred, while Gary Lineker concluded the decade at Barcelona following his exploits at the 1986 World Cup. 

Joe Jordan was another name who took the plunge, leaving Manchester United in 1981 and moving to Serie A giants AC Milan, almost paving the way for his fellow Brits to follow later in the decade. 

"It gave me an opportunity to do something that I want," Jordan exclusively told DAZN News, thanks to Spreadex Sports

"What I wanted in my career was to have an opportunity to play abroad, and I got it. And it was fantastic. It wasn't easy. But I played for AC Milan for a couple of years, then went to Verona for a year.

"And I've got to say that that was a real learning curve there, playing in a different country, being involved at a time." 

Jordan spent three seasons in Italy, becoming only the second Scottish international to score in Serie A, and looking back, it was an experience the former midfielder still revels in. 

"AC Milan were an incredible club, huge crowds, and giving me the chance to play and also to live in a country which was different, and to absorb how the game was played there, how the build-up to the game, how the training was. And it was different.

"It was such an experience. And I would have to say, if I hadn't had that chapter, that was something I would have regretted in my career." 

Much like the zeitgeist of the time, where many more Brits were taking to going abroad, footballers began to venture to pastures new. In addition to Italy and Spain, there were those who crossed the Channel to France, too, with Glenn Hoddle at Monaco, and as we moved into the 1990s, Chris Waddle, who enjoyed great success in Marseille. 

However, the former England winger admits to DAZN News, thanks to BestBettingSites, that there was a lot more pressure in those days, largely due to the three foreign player rule, which meant clubs were less likely to gamble on overseas names. 

He said, "I think it's changed now. I think when I went, you had to be one of three foreign players. I think when Glenn Hoddle went, Mark Hughes, Ray Wilkins, players like them, you had to get in and be a starter. It wasn’t easy.
 
"You had to be a player who they really needed, to change the way they played, or they looked for a specific type of footballer. And it was hard.
 

"With the three foreign players, you didn't buy a player for a lot of money and put them on the bench. Now it's quite easy to move around the world to go into leagues and you can have a year here and a year there. It's not like it used to be.

"Marseille was a very hot city. The weather, the temperature was always quite hot for most of the year. You couldn't go around pressing and chasing like they do in the Premier League. You had to think more patiently. 
 
"Different culture, different language, a different way of life and you've got to get up to it. If you don't adapt to it, then you'll be coming home very quickly." 

Not like it used to be 

Waddle's success of that era was matched by David Platt, who became the darling of Serie A after Italia '90 and played for three different Italian clubs. Meanwhile, Des Walker and Paul Ince also spent time in the league during its 90s peak. 

However, moves were still rare, and were really only made by headline players; McManaman's move to Real Madrid, even Beckham and Owen's moves to the Bernabeu, all still felt like a novelty. 

Fast-forward to 2025, and the landscape is quite different. The three foreigner rule has long been abolished, while 1999's Bosman ruling completely changed the transfer market and opened up opportunities for players. 

Yet, perhaps it's that opportunity that has been the biggest change. The Premier League, despite its game-changing benefits, has restricted its pathways for British players due to the influx of overseas players at significantly lower prices. 

Therefore, in a more open-minded society, one which, thanks to the advent of social media, seems closer than ever, more and more players are seeking to play in Europe as a way of establishing themselves. 

There are now more opportunities for first-team football in the Bundesliga, in Serie A and beyond.

Whether that's young players who haven't made the breakthrough in England, such as Jadon Sancho or Jamie Gittens, or those frustrated by a lack of action, who have flourished in another country, like Fikayo Tomori and Billy Gilmour. 

"The gates are open for everybody," Waddle adds. Getty

"Not just to come to England. We get a lot of foreign players coming to England, obviously for the rewards and the Premier League, but you can go to France, Germany, Spain, you can get to all these leagues quite easily now." 

Not only is it easier, but it's also becoming a way to truly transform your career. Scott McTominay is obviously the poster boy for the overseas move, but you can also cite Lewis Ferguson's role at Bologna or how PSV were the launching pad for Noni Madueke. 

It is no longer about those headline moves from twenty or thirty years ago, but more about using the whole breadth of the footballing world to make a name for yourself, while also experiencing a different culture both on and off the pitch. 

Not only is it beneficial for a player's career, but these moves are also bearing fruit for the national teams, too, where those opportunities gained abroad have led to international honours across the home nations and Ireland. 

Moving abroad is now the new normal, and it's long overdue. Let the invasion continue because it's never been a better time for British players to show the whole of Europe what they can do.

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