Derry City's summer transfer window proving 'one of the toughest' due to Brexit complexities

​The Brandywell club has been forced to abandon its search for new recruits from Europe and narrow its focus to players in the UK and Irish markets due to red tape and bureaucracy surrounding the signing of foreign internationals.

Timing is the main issue during the shorter summer window with deals for potential Continental imports or those outside the UK and Ireland taking up to 12 weeks or longer to process.

Since the UK's departure from the European Union - effective from January 2021 - Derry no longer has the luxury of cherry-picking players from across Europe.

Argentine midfielder Gerardo Bruna and French Algerian Gianni Seraf were in fact the last foreign internationals to sign for the club back in February 2019!

Other League of Ireland clubs continue to make good use of the European market with Bohemians securing the signature of Polish international keeper Kacper Chorazka this year among others while Shamrock Rovers were able to bring in the likes of Estonian international Marcus Poom and German, Leon Pohls.

And yet Derry's geographical location in the north of Ireland has left the club hamstrung in its bid to strengthen during the summer window with Higgins admitting it has scuppered his plans to bring in identified reinforcements for their title push.

“Aye, there's no doubt," admitted the City boss when asked if Brexit rules resulted in the breakdown of potential transfers this summer.

"There's obviously difficulties in that area but we have to focus on what we can control.

“Obviously at the start when we started looking we found out really early that we couldn't really do it so then all our focus just changed to sort of Ireland and Britain, so that's where it is and we just have to deal with it.

"It's proven at this moment in time that it's quite difficult, you feel that you're nearly there with someone and then it's gone."

Higgins' only summer signing was Englishman Jacob Davenport but following the departure of Cameron McJannet to Grimsby Town, the Derry boss hasn't been able to find suitable replacements in the window.

The club can still bring in free agents until the end of August but the pool of players available has been refined.

"Obviously it has to be realistic as well in terms of everything, their family life, finance, the whole works, it all has to be taken into consideration and [the player's] character and all those types of things. We do our homework and references and all that sort of stuff so we'll only bring someone in if it's the right fit for the club.”

Derry City FC has been in discussions with the FAI in attempts to find a loophole given their unique situation of plying their trade in the Republic of Ireland while operating in the north.

However, it's a complicated process which involves the league's governing body working within the Home Office Code of practice for sports governing bodies and they must comply with any immigration regulations, UK legislation and the principles of the Points-Based System.

That post-Brexit points-based system means players from across the EU must fulfil certain criteria in order to earn a work permit.

International appearances, minutes played in both domestic and European competitions, the recent success of the selling club and the quality of the league the selling club plays in, all determine whether a player has the right to work in the UK.

Players have to earn a total of 15 points before they are granted clearance to transfer to the UK based club which may be unrealistic for most.

For Derry City's newly appointed Technical Director Mark McChrystal it's proven to be a real minefield for the Brandywell club but he's been busy getting his head around the intricacies of the regulations.

"Since Brexit has come in it's obviously affected the Welsh league, the Scottish league, the English league and the Northern Irish league," began McChrystal.

"We're obviously located in the north but play in the south where it doesn't affect teams.

"So you get problems when you're trying to sign non-Irish or non-British players. You have to go through a process which is like a points system where you have to prove the player you're bringing in is going to improve your team and that he will play a lot of games.

"It's based on a points system of international caps, the league he's coming from etc. So it's basically a tally system. You have to prove that the player is really going to add value to your club over a local player or Irish or British player.

"It's called a GBE [Governing Body Endorsement]. The club has to sponsor that player and you have to go to the Home Office.

"The majority of clubs in the League of Ireland are based in the south so they don't really have that issue whereas we're based in the north so it becomes a wee bit complicated.

"It takes a bit of work and a bit of time and obviously with transfer windows you're limited with the time you've got.

"You've basically just got a month to get a transfer sorted and in the off-season you have basically two months but you have to be really ahead of the game to get it up and running.

"You could be offered loads and loads of players and you pick the player you want but I think in the Irish League last year there were only maybe four players in that category. Maybe one went to Carrick [Rangers], an Australian lad and Larne brought two Americans and a Dutch lad in. So it restricts your market and then obviously everyone is chasing the same players.

"It's something we're looking into over the next few months in conjunction with the FAI and the Home Office. There's conversations we need to have.

"It's something we are planning to look into a lot more. As time goes on that process will likely become a lot easier but it's kind of fresh at the minute."

Under Brexit regulations, Derry City is further impinged as it also finds it more difficult than its League of Ireland rivals to keep hold of its talented young footballers who can go to England from the age of 16 as opposed to 18 years-old in the south.

"We're in a really difficult position in terms of where we're located and the league we play in. In terms of youth players as well, lads from Derry for example can go to England at the age of 16 like young Trent Kone Doherty who went to Liverpool whereas a lad who lives in Republic of Ireland can't go until they're 18 as you've seen in recent times with Pat's where Sam Curtis went when he was 18.

"Mason Melia is playing now as a 16 year-old and might go when he's 18 but it kind of limits the market there."

Of course there has been a recent trend of young footballers based in the south making the switch to European leagues like Serie B in Italy from as young as 16.

When asked if the rules had prevented the club signing specific players in the summer window, McChrystal responded: "You'll find in transfer windows you get offered players from everywhere."Some deals can be done easier than others. You get offered players from all around the world in every league but the management team can maybe discuss that one," he smiled.

Well Higgins has certainly found the process a frustrating one.

“I've never seen a window like it," said Higgins. "It's definitely been the toughest because we just need to fine tune it. It's just one or two wee areas that we're looking at but to get the profile that we want has proved difficult but we're trying and we'll keep trying.

"But I'm not going to sign someone just for the sake of it, they have to add real value to the group.

"There's no point in me signing someone that's got the same profile as someone else who's maybe not any better than that player so what's the point of doing that?

"We have to try and improve the group and if we can't find that player we'll move on.”