Sunderland’s hidden Europa League squad registration issues Florent Ghisolfi must solve this summer
Sunderland’s Europa League return means Florent Ghisolfi must balance signings, exits and UEFA rules
Sunderland’s return to Europe brings romance, excitement and the prospect of unforgettable away days - but it also creates a squad-building issue that Florent Ghisolfi must now solve.
UEFA’s latest competition guidance, published in March 2026, sets out the rules Sunderland will have to work within next season. The basic point is simple: clubs cannot just name every senior player they want. There are squad limits, locally trained requirements and different categories of player to consider.
What are the basic UEFA squad rules?
For the Europa League, clubs submit what is known as List A. That list can include a maximum of 25 players. However, eight of those spaces are reserved for “locally trained players”. If a club does not have enough locally trained players, it does not simply get to fill those spaces with anyone else - the size of the squad is reduced instead.
So, in the simplest possible terms, if Sunderland want to name a full 25-man List A, they need to satisfy UEFA’s locally trained rules. Those eight locally trained spots are then split into two categories: club-trained and association-trained.
What is the difference between club-trained and association-trained?
A club-trained player is someone who has spent three full seasons, or 36 months, registered with Sunderland between the ages of 15 and 21.
An association-trained player is someone who spent the same length of time registered with clubs in the same national association. For Sunderland, that generally means players developed in English football between those ages. The key thing to understand is that this is not about nationality. It is about where a player was registered during his development years.
UEFA allows no more than four association-trained players to count within those eight locally trained places. That means clubs ideally need four club-trained players as well if they want to use the full squad allocation. That is where Sunderland’s planning becomes interesting.
Who can Sunderland use as association-trained players?
This part should be fairly manageable. Dennis Cirkin would have counted as association-trained players, but his exit should not create a major problem in that category.
Sunderland can still name Alan Browne, Leo Hjelde, Simon Moore, Dan Ballard, Luke O’Nien and Romaine Mundle, who would all appear to fit that profile. Ballard counts because of his development time at Arsenal before joining Sunderland.
Trai Hume is a long-serving Sunderland player, but started his development at Linfield in Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Football Association is separate from the English FA, so Hume would not count as association-trained for Sunderland in the same way Ballard does.
Who counts as club-trained for Sunderland?
Chris Rigg is the obvious club-trained option for Sunderland, but can also be registered in List B, given he is still only 18. Anthony Patterson would also count, but he is expected to move on permanently this summer.
Although Eliezer Mayenda has been at Sunderland for long enough on paper, his loan spell at Hibernian would appear to interrupt his club-trained status because UEFA treats loans to clubs in another association as foreign loans. Scotland falls under the Scottish FA rather than the English FA, so that period away at Hibs means Mayenda would not simply count as club-trained for Sunderland.
Matty Young could have been another option, but he is expected to go out on loan as Sunderland continue to manage his development. That leaves some interesting calls around younger players such as Trey Ogunsuyi, Jenson Jones and Jaydon Jones. Finn Geragusian and Jack Whittaker would also come into the conversation if they sign new deals. Harrison Jones and Zak Johnson also count, but they are expected to leave.
Can Sunderland just use young players on List B?
This is where UEFA’s List B becomes important. Clubs can register an unlimited number of List B players during the season, but there are rules attached. A player must be born on or after January 1, 2005 and must have been eligible to play for the club for an uninterrupted period of two years since his 15th birthday, or for three consecutive years with a maximum one-year loan spell to another club from the same association.
Players aged 16 can also be registered on List B if they have been with the club for the previous two years without interruption. Put simply, List B gives Sunderland flexibility with certain academy players, but it is not a loophole that allows the club to register anyone they like. It rewards planning, continuity and academy development.
UEFA rules also state that clubs must include at least two goalkeepers on List A and at least three in total across List A and List B. Robin Roefs, Simon Moore, Melker Ellborg, Anthony Patterson, and the academy options all form part of that wider European squad conversation, depending on who stays, who leaves and who qualifies for which list.
Why could senior players miss out?
This is the bit that could become important later in the summer. If Sunderland make several signings, particularly from overseas, the List A numbers could become tight quickly. UEFA’s rules mean the club may have to make difficult decisions over which senior first-team players are included in the European squad and which are left out.
That does not mean Sunderland are in crisis. Plenty of European clubs manage this every season. But it does mean Ghisolfi and Régis Le Bris have to think carefully about balance. It is not just about having two players for every position. It is about having the right mix of senior players, locally trained players, academy players, goalkeepers and List B options.
When do Sunderland need to name their squad?
September 2, 2026 is the deadline for List A for matches from the first league phase fixture through to the final. List B can be submitted up to 23:59 CET on the day before each match, giving clubs more flexibility with eligible younger players.
The Echo has launched a new WhatsApp SAFC Channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates direct to your phone. Simply click this link to join our SAFC WhatsApp channel.
There is also room to make changes later. After the league phase and before the knockout phase, clubs can register up to three new eligible players. Those changes must be completed by February 4, 2027, but the 25-man limit and locally trained player rules still apply.
Why does this matter for Sunderland’s transfer window?
Sunderland will want more quality. Le Bris will want more consistency. Ghisolfi will want depth, flexibility and resale value. But the Europa League adds another demand: the squad also has to work on paper.
That could affect who stays, who goes, who is loaned out and what type of players Sunderland target. It may make certain academy products more useful than they appear at first glance. It may also make English-trained players more attractive in some areas of the squad.
That is where the wider market becomes interesting. Jordan Pickford, Jordan Henderson and John Egan are all Sunderland academy graduates now attached to Premier League clubs, though there is no suggestion at this stage that Sunderland are moving for any of the three.
It may also push Ghisolfi to look at signing another association-trained player at some stage, particularly if someone like Romaine Mundle was allowed to leave. Mundle appears to help Sunderland in that category, so any departure would not just remove a wide player from the squad - it could also change the balance of the European list.