A player is regarded as home-grown if he has spent 36 months or more with a club associated with the English or Welsh FA before his 21st birthday - or the end of the season during which he turns 21.
The rules have left a whole host of clubs, most notably the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea, facing a fine balancing act in the coming weeks. BBC Sport examines where your club stands as the squad deadline nears. I've taken only Tottenham and Newcastle as they are our teams but clink on your club at the foot of this article:
TOTTENHAM
 Bale will be pivotal for Spurs this season despite his under-21 status |
One of the game's great wheeler-dealers, Harry Redknapp has assembled a well-balanced squad at Tottenham.
Concerns over the fitness of Jonathan Woodgate need not worry the manager at this stage - he fits into a squad of 25 as it stands - while having the likes of Gareth Bale, Giovani dos Santos and new-boy Sandro as free under-21 picks swells his numbers nicely.
That said, with Redknapp still looking to bring in a couple more players, the likes of Alan Hutton, Robbie Keane, Jamie O'Hara and Woodgate could well be looking over their shoulders in fear of their place in the squad.
Redknapp, on the back of leading Tottenham to a top-four finish for the first time in the Premier League, says he has three players he wants capture. Should he be successful, he says, Spurs can launch a title challenge.
Qualifying for the Champions League group stages could prove pivotal to the Londoners' bid to add to their numbers, and being drawn against Swiss side Young Boys gives them every chance of doing that.
A club that traditionally leaves things late in the window, at least the nationality of any new arrivals is of little concern to Tottenham.
NON-HOME-GROWN: Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Sebastien Bassong, Vedran Corluka, Carlo Cudicini, Heurelho Gomes, Alan Hutton, Younes Kaboul, Niko Kranjcar, Luka Modric, Wilson Palacios, Roman Pavlyuchenko.
SENIOR HOME-GROWN: David Bentley, Peter Crouch, Michael Dawson, Jermain Defoe, Dorian Dervite, Tom Huddlestone, Jermaine Jenas, Robbie Keane, Ledley King, Aaron Lennon, Jamie O'Hara, Kyle Naughton, Jonathan Woodgate.
SELECTED UNDER-21s: Gareth Bale, Giovani dos Santos, Kyle Walker, Jake Livermore, Ryan Mason, Jonathan Obika, Danny Rose, Sandro, Andros Townsend.
POTENTIAL TARGETS: Craig Bellamy, Scott Parker, Micah Richards, Ashley Young.
VERDICT: Additions key to their ambitions.
NEWCASTLE
 Gutierrez was key to Newcastle's promotion push last season |
As big an achievement as it was to get Newcastle back into the Premier League at the first time of asking, keeping them there this season would arguably be an even greater reward for boss Chris Hughton.
His task will be aided by the fact he returns with a host of players with top-flight experience - and he has added to them sagely with the signing of former Tottenham and Arsenal defender Sol Campbell, who once fit again will provide much needed skill and experience at the heart of a defence that is likely to be severely tested this campaign.
Also returning are a trio of overseas players who will feel they have unfinished business in the Premier League. Fabricio Coloccini, Jose Enrique and Jonas Gutierrez may have looked short of quality first time round, but with a good Championship season behind them they will hope to make a much better impression in the coming months.
With no great resources to splash in the transfer market, Hughton was also alert to snap up promising youngster Dan Gosling from Everton, while James Perch arrives from Nottingham Forest to give him options across the back four and midfield.
Boasting the fewest number of overseas players in their squad, too, means Toon fans will have have a feast of home-grown players to cheer on at St James' Park.
NON-HOME-GROWN: Fabricio Coloccini, Jose Enrique, Jonas Gutierrez, Peter Lovenkrands.
SENIOR HOME-GROWN: Shola Ameobi, Joey Barton, Leon Best, Sol Campbell, Fraser Forster, Danny Guthrie, Steve Harper, Tim Krul, Kevin Nolan, James Perch, Wayne Routledge, Danny Simpson, Alan Smith, Ryan Taylor, Steven Taylor, Mike Williamson.
SELECTED UNDER-21s: Andy Carroll, Ryan Donaldson, Shane Ferguson, Dan Gosling, Tamas Kadar, Nile Ranger, Haris Vuckic.
POTENTIAL TARGETS: Hatem Ben Arfa, Jimmy Bullard, Alan Hutton.
VERDICT: Fit for the fight.
*Key: NH = Non-home-grown players. HG = Home-grown players.
(Figures and squad lists correct as of 1200 BST on Friday 13 August)
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