Sheffield Wednesday's Michael Ihiekwe and Bambo Diaby are celebrating at full time during the Sky Bet Championship match between Sunderland and Sheffield Wednesday at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, on May 4, 2024. (Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Transfers collapsing due to work permit failure isn’t quite as much of a thing as it once was. Whilst at one point any player from the EU could move to any level of football in the UK, it was much harder for those outside to be able to satisfy the requirements.
Things have changed in recent years, and it’s now easier, for example, for clubs to sign players from South American leagues.
Ivan Krstanović knows more than most about the old work permit issues, because they cost him a move to Sheffield Wednesday.
The 41-year-old striker played for 11 different club’s during his career, all of which were in Croatia or Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Sheffield Wednesday gave him the chance to move outside the former Yugoslavia countries for the first time, and it looked like he was on his way to the Yorkshire club.
In an interview with 24 Sata, Krstanović explained: “Well, when I was 25 years old in Zagreb, I didn’t know the basics of football. Coach Luka Pavlović taught me a lot in those days. I was on the broader list of the Croatian national team, later played for Bosnia and Herzegovina… It’s a shame that I didn’t try my hand abroad. When I was at Dinamo, Sheffield Wednesday called me and offered me a contract for three years, but I didn’t get a work permit.”
