You’re right that the Premier League is driven by money and power, but I’d argue that introducing things like wage caps or nationality restrictions, while great in theory, could actually do more harm than good, especially when you look at how it played out in Welsh rugby.
Take the Welsh Rugby Union. They tried to protect their national team by introducing rules to keep top players in Wales (the 60-cap rule), limited budgets for regions, etc. But what actually happened? The best players still left. The regional game became weaker. Crowds fell off. And the national team ended up suffering anyway. It didn’t stop the talent drain; it just made staying in Wales less appealing.
Now imagine the Premier League tries to do the same and brings in a salary cap or tightens restrictions to protect English talent. What do you think happens? All the top international stars go to Spain, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia, even the MLS, wherever the money still flows. And more importantly, so do the best English players. Just like Welsh rugby, if the league becomes less competitive or glamorous, it won’t hold them.
The only reason salary caps work in American sports is because there’s nowhere else to go. Nobody’s leaving the NFL to play in Germany. But football’s a global game. If the Prem weakens itself with restrictions, it loses its spot at the top of the food chain FAST. And with that, all the money, visibility, and draw that comes with it.
So yeah, the status quo isn’t perfect (and the promoted/relegated clubs will keep spinning in and out) but the alternative could actually kill what makes the Premier League so dominant. Welsh rugby tried to prioritise control and ended up collapsing the domestic game. The Prem doesn’t want to make the same mistake.
