Saints have been linked with a number of keeper during the transfer window but as of yet none have actually signed, but we have lost one big potential signing to the work permit rules that are now enforced because of Braxit.

When we left the European Union there was a big change in Football, previously players who qualified for a work permit in the UK because they were fellow EU citizens and therefore had freedom of movement throughout the EU, no longer have those rights.

Previously strict rules applied for players from outside the EU which is why South American players or African Players found it hard to get into the Premier League straight away and often had to circumnavigate these rules by playing for smaller sides in the Top European Leagues in order to pass the qualifying requirements, in order to compound that a player also had to have played a certain amount of matches for his country and the number needed varies depending on the FIFA ranking of that country.

But all that is changing due to Brexit and now we are not in the EU, footballers from their are being treated in the much the same way as their counterparts from South America or Africa or for that matter anywhere in the World.

This is being cited as the reason why Bartlomiej Dragowski is now not being touted as the new number 1 at St Mary's.

The club after perusing all the work permit regulations were starting to realise that getting a work permit for him would not be as easy as it used to be, Dragowski having missed most of the season just ended as number two at Fiorentina due to firstly injury and then not being able to gain his place he would be dodgy on that part of the ruling.

But the main issue was that having been capped just twice by Poland would not qualify under the rules that state a player must play a certain percentage of his countries International fixtures in the last 12 months, this rating is tiered and Poland are ranked 26th, that means Dragowski must have played in 60% of his countries games in the last 12 months, for a keeper that is even harder due to there being fewer opportunities to come on as a sub.

The system is points based and open to appeal, but the appeal could drag on and Saints need to get a keeper in place by the start of July, so it seems that Saints although keen to bring Dragowski to the club have had to accept that the red tape will more than likely scupper them.

Likewise why Mateusz Lis is rumoured to be being signed as a free agent and then loaned out to a French top flight club, Lis would unlikely get a work permit in England at the moment but if he plays a full season in the French Top Flight he would more than likely qualify for a work permit.

But Saints didn't have that luxury in the case of Dragowski, he would perhaps have qualified last summer due to having been number one for the previous season, but not now.

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