'Wrexham should be kicked out of EFL if they enter Welsh League Cup'

In a move backed by Cymru Premier champions The New Saints, the Football Association of Wales is progressing with plans to revamp the League Cup and allow Wrexham, Cardiff City, Swansea City and Newport County into the competition.

It would also provide a route into Europe - something the competition does not currently do - and allow 12 Cymru Premier clubs, including TNS, to compete with the four other professional teams in the country. It requires the approval of the English Football Association to be able to proceed.

Discussing the potential move on talkSPORT Drive on Wednesday, Bent said: “I don’t think they should be able to back door it into Europe.

"You’ve made your decision now, you’re in the EFL.

“They should be kicked out of the EFL if they do enter into this cup.”

Though it could effectively take away a European place from the Cymru Premier, TNS believe the benefits outweigh this negative and would bring much-needed funds and exposure to the Welsh domestic game - as well as helping to increase the country's Uefa coefficient ranking, which currently stands at 49th of the 55 nations.

This season, Cymru Premier champions TNS had to enter the Champions League in the first qualifying round, but an improved coefficient ranking could see them come in at a later stage in the future - vastly improving their chances of repeating their run to league phase. 

A statement from the Saints read: "The New Saints expresses support, in principle, for proposed reforms to the Welsh League Cup. 

"As a club, we believe this move will bring a number of benefits, including increased brand recognition for the JD Cymru Premier and an increase in our Uefa country coefficient ranking which will generate more investment for the game in Wales.

"In turn, this will lead to more Welsh clubs competing in the league phase of UEFA club competitions like The New Saints this season, increasing revenue for all clubs.

"A key part of the new JD Cymru Premier strategy was raising the profile of our domestic game, and this exciting new competition, similar to the FAW Premier Cup which came before it, will help attract new fans and a much wider audience for the domestic game.

"We look forward to these exciting plans coming to fruition."

Cardiff City, Newport County, Swansea City and Wrexham have agreed to exclude any profit derived by representing Wales in UEFA competitions for financial regulations in the English Football League or the English Premier League.