It was looking like the transfer would be a breeze but, unfortunately for Tottenham, that’s never the case. Serge Aurier could be denied every player’s dream move to the Premier League following the new work permit laws.
At the time of writing this, Spurs have agreed terms with Aurier’s current club Paris Saint Germain in a deal which will see the Ivorian move to North London for a fee of £23m.
However, this transfer can’t be completed without addressing the law barrier, which has confused many. Not to worry though, I’m here to explain everything you need to know.
Starting right from the very beginning – In September of last year, Serge Aurier was charged with assaulting a police officer in a night out in Paris.
He was accused of elbowing the police officer and the result of this was a two-month prison sentence (which he never had to complete) and a €2,100 fine.
This is where the United Kingdom gets involved – in November of 2016, Serge Aurier and his team were asked to travel to North London to face Arsenal in a Champions League fixture but unfortunately for Aurier, after impressing in the home fixture, he was denied the right to obtain a British visa.
Last summer, Britain held a democratic vote in which members of the United Kingdom would decide whether they wanted to leave the European Union – you may have heard this referred as ‘Brexit’.
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The results of this vote meant that the United Kingdom would be leaving the EU and that has had significant impacts on Premier League transfers.
In order to transfer players from a foreign club to the English Premier League, the player must obtain a work permit. I shan’t go in to in great detail about that, but what it essentially means is the player will have needed to play a significant proportion of their international side’s fixtures.
This isn’t the only factor involved in obtaining a work permit, though. Of course, Serge Aurier’s problems with the law will also lower his chances of receiving a work permit.
However, there are positives for Spurs fans – Serge Aurier has 41 caps for the Ivory Coast national team and he one of their star plays, so in that regard, it won’t be too problematic.
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Also, the professionals working close with Aurier have said that they’re appealing this ban, and Spurs officials believe they can overturn this.
Independent have reported that Spurs will hear back on the visa case this Tuesday and if the results go well, Serge Aurier could be playing at Wembley for Spurs next season.