Arsenal Only English Team in Europe’s Major Leagues to Rank in Top 15 For Most Minutes Given to Homegrown Players

Only the Serie A has less representatives than the Premier League when looking at the top 15 teams who have the most minutes given to homegrown players this season.

• Arsenal are the only Premier League team to feature in the top 15
• Half of the top 20 is made up of La Liga teams including Athletic Bilbao

Most Minutes Given to Homegrown Players – 2023/24

Using data published by the CIES Football Observatory, the list below shows teams with the highest percentage of minutes played by homegrown players so far this season.

Homegrown is defined as having spent at least three years between the ages of 15 and 21 at their club.

NOTE: This list only accounts for Europe’s top five leagues

1. Athletic Bilbao – 68.9%
2. Lyon – 46.6%
3. Real Sociedad – 45.4%
4. Real Madrid – 36.3%
5. Freiburg – 34.5%
6. Osasuna – 33.3%
7. Valencia – 31.13%
8. Stade Rennais – 30.6%
9. Barcelona 29.1%
10. Las Palmas – 29%
11. Mainz – 28.9%
12. Montpellier – 24.8%
13. Villarreal – 24.7%
14. Arsenal – 22.1%
15. Le Havre – 21.4%
16. Celta Vigo – 21.3%
17. Atletico Madrid – 21.3%
18. Manchester United – 20.4%
19. Chelsea – 19.8%
20. Atalanta – 18.7%

The biggest takeaway from the data is just how many minutes are given to homegrown players in La Liga, with 10 of the top 20 teams all plying their trade in the Spanish top-flight.

This is perhaps a reflection of La Liga’s spending, or lack thereof, which ranked the lowest of any of Europe’s top five leagues over the summer. Real Madrid rank surprisingly high on this list given they outspent the rest of La Liga combined, but it is a worrying reflection of Spanish football’s waning influence, with historically successful teams falling by the wayside.

Nevertheless, Spain’s international set-up will hope to reap the benefits of a domestic league that thrives on promoting homegrown players, while also providing a launchpad for teenagers further afield who can identify a clear path to first team football.

Meanwhile, Arsenal are the only English side in the top 15, with just over 22% of their domestic minutes so far being played by club-trained talent. For a side who challenged the third-most expensively assembled squad in football last season, it is a promising statistic for those at the club’s Hale End academy.

The second-most expensive squad, Chelsea, will likely turn to this list as an example to both young players, and harsh critics of their brazen spending habits over the past 18 months. With just under 20% of minutes given to homegrown players so far, many might be surprised given they total over £1bn in transfer sees since Todd Boehly‘s arrival.

Least Minutes Given to Homegrown Players – 2023/24

We have also listed teams at the other end of the spectrum who have given the least minutes to homegrown talent so far this campaign.

=1. Marseille – 0%

=1. West Ham United – 0%

=1. Ausburg – 0%

=1. Cadiz – 0%

=1. Salernitana – 0%

=1. Eintracht Frankfurt – 0%

=1. Brentford – 0%

=1. Frosinone – 0%

=1. RB Leipzig – 0%

=1. Luton Town – 0%

=1. Almeria – 0%

=2. Genoa – 0.1%

=2. Lecce- 0.1%

=2. Udinese- 0.1%

=2. Vfl Bochum- 0.1%

3. Getafe- 0.2%

4. Union Berlin- 0.3%

=5. Napoli- 0.5%

=5. Aston Villa- 0.5%

6. Fulham- 0.6%

Interestingly, the Serie A – which had just one team in the top 20 for most minutes – is the most represented league in the bottom 20 with six teams.

Five Premier League teams also feature, with West Ham, Brentford and Luton handing zero minutes to club-trained players.