Why Harambee Stars Captain Michael Olunga Can’t Join Any English Club Amid Everton Links

Michael Olunga is unarguably one of the most successful footballers Kenya has ever produced.

Not many local players have had the chance to play abroad in the lucrative leagues, but the lanky striker ticked this off his bucket list with stints in Sweden, Spain, Japan, and Qatar.

Olunga might not have hit the same levels of playing in Europe's top five leagues like Victor Wanyama, McDonald Mariga, or Dennis Oliech - but coming from Kenya and rising to the top of the Qatari and Japanese leagues in is a win in itself.

Therefore, it becomes even greater when Olunga was linked to English top flight clubs like Everton, their status in the last two seasons notwithstanding.

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Of course, being linked to a club and making a move there are extremely different things, but it shows at least that someone is watching and is impressed by his progress.

However, for Olunga, moving to Everton - or any other English club for that matter - might remain a dream this season.

The English Football Association implemented new changes to its rules of signing overseas players on January 1, 2021, after the country exited the European Union, in what was famously known as Brexit.

The new rules, termed the Governing Body Endorsement (GBE), is a points-based system put in place to determine the players who were eligible to play in the United Kingdom.

As Sci Sports explains, clubs are not allowed to sign overseas players below the age of 18, but once they hit that age, there are also a couple of metrics they need to achieve.

How GBE calculation works

According to the points system, a player needs to get 15 points to get an 'autopass' to play in the UK. If the player gets between 10 to 14 points, he can appeal the decision to the Exceptions Panel, while a point tally of below 10 means the player is automatically ineligible. The total number of points one can get is 65.

The categories looked at include: international appearances, domestic minutes, continental minutes, league quality of the current club, continental progression of the last club, and the final league position of the last club.

From these categories and after a quick search on Transfer Room, Olunga - who currently plies his trade with Al-Duhail FC of Qatar - has a total tally of 7, meaning he is essentially ineligible to play in England.

Under the category of international minutes, his chances have been dampened by Kenya's recent FIFA ban, which saw the country miss out on Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers.

However, he earned points for Al-Duhail's participation in the AFC Champions League, where they were eliminated in the semi-finals.

Qatar's league ranking and the strength of the league count for as much as Kenya's FIFA ranking. Players who come from countries ranked in the top 50 get an auto pass, yet the African nation is in position 102.

The 'Engineer', Olunga has also been linked with moves to Dutch and Turkish clubs, which could help him bridge the GBE gap in pursuit of English football before he eventually retires.

Kenyans who can join England clubs

Mozzart Sport reports that KAA Gent's Joseph Okumu (who has a score of 18) is the only Kenyan eligible for a move to England. Clarke Oduor and Jonah Ayunga get an autopass, given that they have already played in England.

Former national team captain, Victor Wanyama has a score of 11 and would be subjected to an appeal if he wants to return to English football. Anyone - and more specifically, Olunga - can play in the English league but with the current rules in place, maybe just not now.

Olunga responds to Everton links

Sports Brief also reported on how the Kenyan footballer continues to make a name for himself in Japan and Qatar, having won league titles in both countries.

Amid rumours that he could be on his way to join a club in England, Olunga responded to his Everton links with a clever reply in a video circulating online.

His current contract with Al-Duhail is coming to an end, and this has led to numerous transfer rumours claiming The Toffees are now interested in his services.