FIFA rules prohibit Everton from signing ex-Derby dazzler Archie Brown in January transfer window
The newspaper reported on Wednesday (13 December) that Burnley and Leeds, plus clubs in the Bundesliga and Serie A, are also interested in the 21-year-old former Derby County defender.
However, it is understood that clubs will not be able to sign Brown in the January transfer window because he’s already played for both his former club Lausanne and Gent this season.
FIFA rules say a player cannot play for three different teams in the same season.
Still, Brown is regarded as a highly-rated left-back “and his reputation is on the rise in Belgium”.
Brown has been in dazzling form in Belgium, based on what the Mail is saying.
The Birmingham-born left-back has played 18 times in all competitions since joining Gent, who are currently third in the Belgian Jupiler League and also into the knock-out stages of the Europa Conference League.
Everton could do with more depth in the full-back positions.
Vitalii Mykolenko has been doing really well there but Ashley Young is the only other real left-back option in Sean Dyche’s squad and he’s going to be 39 by the time next season starts. His contract is also up this summer.
Brown would be a good back-up option for Mykolenko so it doesn’t matter too much if we cannot sign him in the January transfer window due to FIFA’s ruling on players playing for more than two clubs within a single season.
But the increased wait for a deal might heighten interest and therefore make a move harder to complete with Burnley and Leeds not as hamstrung financially as the Blues are right now.
