Yeah as Gully mentioned and as I know very well (since I don't own any english player myself) there is a tangible advantage in owning NT players and to a lesser extent U21 players.
The merchandise bump covers a percentage of the player salary and this is a significant advantage compared to owning an identical player from a foreign nation (you'd still have the bonus if he plays in the foreign NT, but it would be a fraction), especially when you are looking to 150K+ salaries. This is why most managers in the EBBL with NT calibre players are so touchy about the NT manager job.
Also not owning any English player playing meaningful minutes means, you'll have your fan survey stuck at 1-1.5 balls for the entire season for the fans being familiar with the team. This reduces your gates receipts and despite being a more volatile effect, it does have an impact on your finances too.
Ultimately, as Gully said, all managers are free to do what they believe is in their best interest. For example I have invested time and money in a foreign big man for 4 seasons now, I won't go switching to guards, even they are English now.
Last edited by Lemonshine at 10/17/2014 11:38:28 AM