Jamie Vardy and Dele Alli a 'wake-up call' - Peterborough chairman

Darragh MacAnthony became Peterborough chairman in 2006

Jamie Vardy and Dele Alli should serve as a wake-up call to big clubs about lower-league talent, says Peterborough chairman Darragh MacAnthony.

Leicester striker Vardy and Tottenham's Alli have been capped by England after playing in the Football League.

"Jamie Vardy and Dele Alli should have woken them all up," said MacAnthony.

"People talk about value for money but what they don't realise is when you pay a fee for foreign players it's the wages that come into it."

He told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire: "When you sign young boys from the Football League you might pay a serious transfer fee, but the wages are only £5,000 to £10,000 [a week].

"You add all that package up over a year it's a lot less than when you're paying 50 to 80 grand a week for a foreign player."

Former Stocksbridge Park Steels striker Vardy joined Leicester for £1m from Fleetwood in 2012 and is currently joint-top scorer in the Premier League.

Jamie Vardy and Dele Alli have both made four appearances for England

Meanwhile, ex-MK Dons midfielder 19-year-old Alli has impressed since making his Spurs debut in August and has already earned four England caps.

But 59.9% of Premier League footballers come from overseas, the second-highest figure in Europe behind Cyprus.

"I'm sick of seeing 80-90% of the transfer money leaving the country," said MacAnthony. "The Premier League need to do something because it's ridiculous.

"It doesn't do England or Great Britain any good, and it certainly doesn't do the Football League any good.

"If we get money for our players, I re-invest that money. It goes into the Football League, it goes into the non-league scene and that's the way it should be for me.

"Of course you can buy foreign players, but why does 80-90% of the revenue always go to foreign clubs?"