Arteta Begs Premier League To Increase Matchday Squad

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has urged the Premier League to increase the permitted size of match squads from 20 to 23 players to preserve the mental health of players.

Currently, the Premier League allows clubs to name nine substitutes, with managers able to introduce five of those into a game.

A further substitution is allowed to replace a player with a suspected head injury.

Arteta called on the Premier League to increase the matchday squad, addressing the difficulty of leaving our summer signing Christian Norgaard out of his match squads.

He said: “At the moment there are two or three players who have to be out of the squad. That’s a reality and I cannot change that.

“These are the rules. Hopefully the Premier League next season instead of 18 outfield players they will do 20.

“I beg them from here, [have it] like it is in the Champions League, because it’s much better to manage the squad, to maintain the value of the players, to maintain the mental health of the players as nobody wants to get out of the squad.

“I beg them to help us with that. We can deal with hotels, travel and all of that. That would be very, very helpful for all of us. The worst thing is to leave somebody.”

Arteta was asked to clarify how leaving a player out of a squad on a matchday can have a detrimental effect.

He added: “Because we have a really unique job, which is we have the ability to transform somebody’s life, career, which is great,” he said.

“But as well, every week we have to tell somebody, tomorrow you don’t do the job. You’re not even allowed to travel with the team.

“So tell me a job that you do that. I cannot go to the kitchen tomorrow and say to two of the chefs, today you don’t cook, just go there and see how they cook or go home. It’s really tough.

“So someone that wants to feel part of that, he needs to be there. He needs to travel, he needs to be there and he has to have the feeling that he has a chance.

“When you take that chance away, you have to leave that player because he feels that he’s not good enough.

“Because at the end, your decision is clear. I choose another 20 players in front of you. And I think this is something I worry about.”

Arsenal have played 36 games this season and are competing for trophies across four competitions. They face Leeds United at Elland Road in the league on Saturday.

Arteta says large squads are needed as “demands on games are bigger”.

He said’: “So it doesn’t make a lot of sense to restrict that, in my opinion.

“I think we need to expand that and give the possibility to allow everybody to be part of that. And then we can make the right choice in relation to the game.

“And then we can manage better the minutes, the psychological and emotional moments, and then how we want to change the game. And I think it’s better for absolutely everybody.”

The Gunners will be hoping to bounce back from the 3-2 defeat to Manchester United last week to continue their march towards the Premier League title.