European football clubs are relying on more foreign players and neglecting homegrown youngsters, a study of 534 top-tier teams suggested Tuesday.
A typical club now averages more than eight expatriates, including one Brazilian each, among 24.5 contracted first-team players, according to University of Neuchatel research collected in October from 36 countries.
Squads averaged fewer players aged 21 or under and fewer players trained by the club than last year, the annual player census revealed.
''A similar trend has been measured since 2005 in the five major European championships,'' the report said, referring to England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France.
The use of homegrown players has dropped despite UEFA's upcoming financial reforms, which require clubs to curb transfer spending and break even on football-related business or face exclusion from the lucrative Champions League or Europa League.
However, UEFA allows unlimited investment in training facilities to encourage clubs to nurture young players.
International transfers are still in fashion, with the Swiss research into 13,108 active players showing nearly half move across borders at least once in their career.
In England, the 20 Premier League clubs had 320 non-English players in first-team squads.
Though Cyprus had the most expatriates (72.3 percent) in its top division, England was next with 58 percent. Clubs in Portugal, Greece and Belgium also employed a majority of foreign players. Serbia had the fewest, with less than three per club.
European champion Inter Milan gave 99.8 percent of playing time to non-Italians during the survey period. In the five biggest leagues, Arsenal was next with 89.6 percent of playing minutes for non-Englishmen.
Just two clubs in the five biggest leagues - Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad from Spain's Basque region - gave a majority of playing time to players they nurtured. Bayern Munich and Barcelona were next best.
Bilbao was among 25 clubs without foreign players, but the only one from a traditionally strong league.
Inter is the oldest club in Europe, with the first-team squad averaging 29.61 years on Oct. 1, according to the report. In the top leagues, the three oldest clubs - Inter, AC Milan and Roma - are all from Serie A, where the tempo of play is slower.
Experience appears to pay off - Europa League finalist Fulham is the oldest Premier League team, at 28.89 years.
English clubs, which share the most valuable broadcasting deals, also stockpiled the most active international players.
More than three in five players contracted to Premier League clubs have played in an international match since June 2009, the report said.
Tottenham had the most internationals in Europe with 22, including more Croatia national team players (four) than Croatia's 16 top-tier clubs, who had three combined.
After Manchester City, Arsenal and Fulham, Bayern Munich was the first non-English club on the list with 19 active internationals.
The report suggests that too much transfer activity is bad for a club's prospects.
Manchester United, the Premier League leader, was the most stable club with players staying on average nearly six seasons. Spanish champion Barcelona, where players stay 4 1/2 seasons, was third on the list.
French league leader Lille was the least active in the 2010 transfer markets across the big leagues. Just nine percent of its Oct. 1 squad joined the club last year.
''The least competitive teams tend to over-speculate on the transfer market,'' the report said, suggesting it led to a downward spiral of underachievement.
The census was published by the International Center for Sports Studies, a joint venture between Neuchatel University and football's world governing body FIFA.
