Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has urged the Premier League to increase the number of players clubs can name in matchday squads, arguing that the current restrictions are harming player welfare.
Under existing regulations, Premier League clubs are permitted to select 20 players for matchday squads, including a minimum of three homegrown players. This falls short of allowances in other major European leagues, with La Liga permitting 23 players and Serie A allowing as many as 25. Arteta believes English clubs are being placed at a disadvantage given the demands of competing across multiple competitions.
Arsenal enjoyed a demanding campaign last season, claiming the Premier League title while also reaching the finals of both the Champions League and the Carabao Cup, in addition to progressing to the FA Cup quarter-finals. With such a congested schedule and the added burden of international fixtures, Arteta has stressed that squads need greater depth to cope with the physical toll on players.
Speaking ahead of Arsenal's away trip to face Aston Villa on Monday night, Arteta revealed he has personally lobbied league officials over the issue. "I've been begging the Premier League if we can extend those numbers just for the welfare of the players, which is the most important thing, because I think every squad needs more than 20 outfield players, ideally, to sustain the level of demand in international games that we have," he said. Despite his frustration, the Spaniard acknowledged that Arsenal must work within the current framework. "But these are the rules, and within the rules we have to play. We need to be very close to the players to explain those situations in the right way, for everybody to feel important, because they will be."
Under Premier League rules, clubs can register up to 25 senior players — those over the age of 21 — for the season, with at least eight required to be homegrown talents. This system means that on any given matchday, five registered senior players are left out of the squad entirely. Arteta has spoken previously about how difficult these conversations can be, noting the psychological impact on players who are excluded.
He suggested that most players would prefer to be included in matchday squads regardless of whether they expect to play, framing involvement as central to a footballer's sense of purpose. "The question has to be to the players. What do they want? If they raise their hands and say: 'No, I prefer to stay at home and not travel,' I think we have an issue because then they don't love what they do, which is the matchday," Arteta explained. "But I'm sure that if you ask the players, everybody would like to be part of the squad on matchday, because that's the way that they can fulfil themselves."
The Arsenal boss went further, describing the difficulty of telling a player they have been excluded from a squad altogether. "Otherwise you have to tell somebody: 'You are not even part of this matchday,' and that's really tough. And it doesn't help anybody. It doesn't help the club. It doesn't help the valuation of the player. It doesn't help the player feel part of something. It's a real issue that has a really simple solution."
Arteta also pointed out that Arsenal are not alone in facing this challenge, revealing he had surveyed practices at other leading European clubs. "And all the clubs, because I've done the research with all the top clubs in Europe, we are not different to anybody. Most of them, 90% of them, they have more players than us. So we are going to have to deal with that," he added.
With Arsenal continuing to compete on several fronts, Arteta's comments highlight growing concerns among top-flight managers about squad sizes keeping pace with fixture congestion and player workload.
Based on reporting from Guardian Football.