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Good news for England fans: as of next season, a plan will be implemented to ensure home-grown players are given a chance to shine in the Premier League, as the national side continues its inexorable road to world domination.

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore announced the news: "As of next season clubs will be required to have a squad named of up to 25 players, of which no more than 17 can be over the age of 21 and not home grown."

That means a club will need to have at least eight home grown players in their first-team squad by the start of next season.

Fabio Capello must be delighted.

Or he would be if home grown actually meant English. It does not.

Scudamore again: "The definition of home grown is trained for three years under the age of 21 by somebody in the English and Welsh professional system."

That fairly catch-all definition means that the new ruling is unlikely to have a huge impact on those clubs who raid foreign clubs for their best young talent at an early age - exactly the kind of practice the new rule hopes to eradicate.

Scudamore added: "We're not going down the route of a nationality test but what this will mean is that you just can't buy a team from abroad.

"We think it will give clubs an extra incentive to invest in youth. We think that one of the benefits will be that it will help the England team."

ED agrees that those clubs who have yet to invest in youth may now be forced to. But such investment is unlikely to be solely from this country (and Wales).

Why would they, when cheaper, arguably better, young talent can be found by scouring the continent in a bid to lure kids to England with the promise of Premier League football?

While the prospect of unearthing the next Cristiano Ronaldo - who would be classed as home grown if he were still at Manchester United - is there, clubs will continue to turn to the continent.

Most clubs are already at it, and the new ruling will do little to change that, despite Scudamore's delusions.

Look at Arsenal. The introduction of a home grown rule would normally have had Arsene Wenger sweating like a Croatian striker on a diving charge. After all, he has just four players of English or Welsh descent in his squad.

Yet Arsenal's predominantly non-English set-up will remain unaffected by the new rule as the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Gael Clichy, Fran Merida and Carlos Vela - all with the club from a young age - will help boost their quota.

Hardly the kind of players Capello will be able to call up to his England squad. But perhaps he will be satisfied in that the new ruling takes us one step closer to Sepp Blatter's 6+5 proposal.

Although not everyone will be.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY: "You do look in the mirror at your body and it's amazing how critical you become." David Beckham? Cristiano Ronaldo? No, it's none other than Jonah Lomu, who has swapped his rugby boots for the speedo-wearing, oiled-up world of muscle-flexing. "I'm seeing myself in a different shape. It's been hard work but anybody can be a bodybuilder, it's all about discipline."

FOREIGN VIEW: Michel Platini's plan to force clubs to live within their means is expected to be approved later today. The UEFA president wants to prevent clubs from spending more than they make from their revenues and could signal the end of "sugar daddies" buying into the game and transforming the fortunes of a club. Real Madrid should be worried.

COMING UP: Surely Emmanuel Adebayor cannot be subdued for long - expect more fallout from his crazed kick to Robin van Persie's face/his crazed celebration in front of Arsenal supporters as the day progresses.

Oh, and there is the small matter of the world's greatest club competition getting down to the business end of things this evening, with Manchester United meeting Bestitkas and Chelsea playing Porto in the first round of group stage matches. We'll have full build-up throughout the day and live commentary from both Istanbul and London from 19:45 UK time. Plus, we've got all the goals from tonight's Championship programme and Hearts v Killie in the SPL.

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