Brexit could impact reported West Ham deal to sign Danish defender Alves
Silkeborg director Kent Madsen has confirmed that Brexit might have an impact on a deal that will reportedly take young defender Frederik Alves Ibsen to West Ham.
Earlier this week, Danish news outlet BT reported that Ibsen, 20, had travelled to London to undergo a medical with the Hammers after a deal worth up to £1.4million was agreed between the Premier League club and Danish second-tier side Silkeborg.
It was reported that the Denmark Under-21 defender would join West Ham in the January transfer window on a contract lasting until the summer of 2024.
Madsen has now confirmed that Ibsen is leaving Silkeborg.
However, the Danish club’s director isn’t saying which club he is joining because Brexit may yet have an impact on the defender’s ability to obtain a work permit.
Speaking to Midtjyllands Avis, Madsen said: “He is sold with what I would call a very small reservation. He must be able to obtain a residence and work permit in the country he is going to. We consider it a formality, but I can say that it is due to Brexit. That is why we have not announced the buying club, but Brexit has an impact on it. As we see it, it is a theoretical risk.”
We all knew that the UK’s exit from the EU would cause a change in the way that British clubs do their transfer business.
In the long run, the extra hurdle of getting players to earn work permits might encourage clubs to spend more time and money in developing their own young players in their academies.
Or, it could severely hamper the quality that leagues like the Premier League have and over time, the English top-flight will struggle to demand as much money in television deals from abroad.
Of course, that all remains to be seen but West Ham seem to be one of the first clubs in the Premier League to be affected by this change as they make plans for the January transfer window.
Hopefully, Ibsen is able to get a work permit but due to the fact he isn’t a full international for Denmark and is unlikely to get into West Ham’s first-team, there might be a struggle.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers could revive their interest in Marseille defender Duge Caleta-Car in January.