English clubs should restrict influx of foreigners

London: Ossie Ardiles was a trailblazer for foreign footballers playing in England, but the former Tottenham star believes too many have followed in his famous footsteps.

The 57-year-old, who moved to White Hart Lane in 1978 after winning the World Cup with Argentina, thinks foreign players should be confined to the Premier League so young English talent can flourish in the lower divisions.

Ardiles said: "The influx of foreigners has been far, far too big. I believe they should be restricted. The only clubs that have foreign players should be, say, the Premier League clubs.

"Right now everybody has foreign players, even down to the third and fourth divisions. They have any name, not because they are so good but because they are cheaper than the counterpart you'll find in England.

"The England national team, the talent that is coming through, has suffered because of that. Fabio Capello has said he's going to change his squad to go for young players and so on. Fine. But where are the young players? You can only identify two or three, maximum. The young players are not there, so it will take a long, long time."

But Ardiles believes talented foreign players have added to the success of the Premier League.

Where he and Ricky Villa led, the likes of Juergen Klinsmann, whom Ardiles signed during his 17-month spell in charge of Tottenham in 1993-94, have followed. Ardiles said: "I believe that top foreigners like Thierry Henry, Eric Cantona and Klinsmann have made what the Premier League is now: the best league in the world."