England's emergency loan reprieve 'good for Premier League'

Ravel Morrison helped QPR win promotion to the Premier League after joining on emergency loan last season

Premier League clubs need the emergency loan system as well as struggling Football League sides, says Tranmere chairman and ex-FA chief Mark Palios.

Fifa has extended the system to take in 2015-16, but wants to scrap it in future to protect the "sporting integrity of competitions".

Tranmere have made 12 emergency loans.

Palios said: "It is also important to the top clubs because there is a big gap from the Under-21 league - which is antiseptic - to the Premier League."

He added: "Most young players need to experience league football."

Football's world governing body Fifa had initially planned to end the system after this season. Emergency loans allow Football League and Conference clubs to sign players for a maximum of 93 days in two periods outside of the international transfer windows.

And Palios, 62, said: "We must use this year's grace to lobby and make sure Fifa understand lower league clubs need emergency loans."

Nearly 350 football league players have signed on emergency loan this season.

Only two of the 72 clubs - Leeds and Reading - have not signed a player on emergency loan so far.

"We don't want to use emergency loans as a modus operandi because that brings instability in the squad," said Palios. "We recognise that. But lower league clubs - for a variety of reasons - have to rectify certain problems."

Fifa agreed to give English clubs an extra season to prepare for a transfer system without emergency loans at its executive committee meeting in Zurich on Friday.

However, the world governing body rejected a proposal earlier this year to consider extending emergency loans on an ongoing basis.

Fifa told BBC Sport that it wants to end emergency loans because the executive committee believes short-term loans "affect the sporting integrity of the competitions".

But Palios, who was FA chief executive between 2003 and 2004, added: "Emergency loans are very important for lower league clubs because they can't afford to carry big squads."

England Under-21s midfielder Ravel Morrison helped Queens Park Rangers win promotion to the Premier League after joining on emergency loan last season, scoring six goals in 15 league matches as they went up through the play-offs.

This season, players were eligible to move between 8 September and 27 November, and again from 9 February until 26 March.

All other transfers must be completed in two transfer windows, which take place during the summer and throughout January in English football. England is the only country which uses an emergency loan system.

Jack Butland played six matches for Championship promotion-chasers Derby earlier this season, helping them to four wins and keeping two clean sheets