Ranked: Chelsea top Premier League for minutes played by foreign players - in pictures

Blues have depended heavily on foreign talent, according CIES Football Observatory data

MINUTES PLAYED BY FOREIGN PLAYERS in 2021/22 PREMIER LEAGUE SEASON: Chelsea 86.8 per cent. EPA

Wolverhampton Wanderers 81.8 per cent. Getty

Manchester City 78.0 per cent. Getty

Watford 76.8 per cent . Getty

Liverpool 76.4 per cent. Getty

Norwich City 71.7 per cent. Getty

Brentford 70.9 per cent. Reuters

Tottenham Hotspur 70.2 per cent. AFP

Brighton & Hove 66.9 per cent. Reuters

Arsenal 65.3 per cent. Getty

West Ham United 59.3 per cent. AP

Manchester United 54.8 per cent. PA

Leicester City 53.7 per cent. AFP

Crystal Palace 53.4 per cent. Getty

Leeds United 53.4 per cent. Reuters

Everton 50.4 per cent. Getty

Newcastle United 38.3 per cent. Getty

Southampton 37.9 per cent. Getty

Aston Villa 35.2 per cent. Reuters

Burnley 19.4 per cent. Getty

The Premier League is the most attractive domestic league on the planet. Players from across the globe head to England to compete in the most competitive, and lucrative, tournament in football, which means clubs are spoilt for choice when it comes to talent.

However, that is not always the best news for local English players, who have to fight for fewer spots at the top level. The influx of wealthy investors also means clubs are incentivised to attract the best players to achieve their aims of winning the top prizes.

That is reflected in the number of minutes played by foreign players in the Premier League this season.

According to data from the Swiss-based CIES Football Observatory, Chelsea have seen a whopping 86.8 per cent of minutes played by foreign players. Manchester City also rank high in this list, with 78 per cent of minutes played by non-English players.

At the other end of the table, Burnley lead the way in their reliance on local players, with only 19.4 per cent of minutes played by foreign players.

To find out how many minutes were played by local and foreign players by each club in the Premier League, see the picture gallery above.

Note that stats include league matches played until September 30.