Fab four could not have signed for Irons

West Ham have four players who would have been unable to play in the Premier League last season had Britain not been in the European Union at the time… Dimi Payet, Pedro Obiang, Angelo Ogbonna and Adrian.

With Brexit having won the referendum the ramifications remain unclear around how the new relationship with Europe may affect the signing of players from the continent.

However, the four – who don’t have the requisite number of competitive international caps to qualify for a work permit – would not have attained an automatic visa and could have been prevented from making their transfers.

Under current employment rules, any player with an EU passport is free to play in the UK without restriction, while those from outside Europe must meet specific Home Office criteria which depends on how many international appearances they have made and where their country sits in the FIFA rankings.