There is confusion over how many players Premier League clubs can loan in, with some reports stating it is just two loans while others say four loans, split evenly between domestic and international loans.
The reality is that Everton can actually loan six players this season and still comply with FIFA and Premier League rules. The club can loan a maximum of two players from domestic clubs but a further four from abroad.
It means the club can loan Jack Harrison from Leeds and one other domestic loan from any club apart from Leeds, while Jasper Lindstrom’s loan from Napoli can be the first of four more international loans if Everton secure two domestic loans.
If Everton do not add a domestic player loan they can recruit five loans from abroad – or four more players once you count Lindstrom.
The reason for this is that FIFA has an overarching rule that clubs can loan six players, while the Premier League has added additional restrictions on domestic loans that limits them to two.
Clubs last season were able to loan seven players in total and Nottingham Forest had six players on loan at one time, but FIFA has now reduced that number to six for the new 2024/25 season.
The full FIFA loan rules are as follows:
“A limitation on a club’s total number of loans per season. To ensure that this is implemented smoothly, there will be a transitional period as follows:
“From 1 July 2024, the same configuration will apply but limited to a maximum of six professionals. Players aged 21 and younger and club-trained players will be exempt from these limitations.”
The confusion comes because the Premier League has issued its own advice solely on how many loans clubs can bring in from other domestic clubs. That means the Premier League rules only apply to teams in the English football pyramid including the Welsh clubs that take part in the Premier League, Championship, League One, League Two and below.
The Premier League rules state the following, but it is important to remember this applies to a section of the rule book that only covers domestic loans:
– Premier League clubs may not register more than two players on loan at any one time.
– The maximum number of loans registrable in the same season is four, and, under no circumstances, shall more than one be from the same club at any one time.
– Premier League clubs cannot loan to another Premier League club a player they have acquired in the same transfer window.
– A Premier League club may loan not more than one of its goalkeepers to another Premier League club.
The Premier League handbook makes no mention of international loans, which means Premier League clubs including Everton are allowed a total of six loans. These can be all international loans or four international loans and two domestic loans.
On top of this Everton can loan three players from a single international team according to the FIFA rules, but only one player from a domestic club. For example, Everton can loan three players from Lyon including Orel Mangala, but only one from Leeds (Jack Harrison).