Arteta Battles Hard to Push Through Groundbreaking Premier League Rule Change That Could Transform Arsenal's Season

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has revealed he has been actively "fighting" the Premier League to expand matchday squad sizes, pushing for a policy shift that would coincidentally benefit his club more than any other in the division.

Arteta was drawn into discussing this topic following Sunday's Community Shield. Due to FA regulations governing squad sizes, both Arsenal and Manchester City were limited to naming nine substitutes, with at least one required to be a goalkeeper. This left the Gunners manager facing some difficult selection calls, with the likes of Gabriel Martinelli, Ethan Nwaneri and promising academy talent Marli Salmon all missing out.

"It's really disappointing not to have them available," Arteta told TNT Sports following his side's convincing 3–0 victory. "I've been pushing the Premier League to expand and accommodate more players in the squad because they deserve to be there, without a doubt.

"Ethan [Nwaneri] and Marli [Salmon] too, who has been with us throughout the entire preseason. Hopefully we can get that rule changed so players can enjoy themselves on the pitch and be an option to play and contribute to the team moving forward."

This is far from a new complaint from Arteta. Back in January, the Basque manager raised a similar concern, referencing the "mental health" of players who are left out of matchday squads despite spending the entire week training alongside the first team. Nevertheless, this is largely a situation of Arteta's own creation — and one that very few other clubs would be eager to resolve on behalf of the reigning Premier League champions.

What Are the Premier League Matchday Squad Rules?

Arteta should have considered himself fortunate, given he was permitted to name 20 players for Sunday's Community Shield. In the Premier League, the limit is just 18.

Arteta has been lobbying for two additional spots to at least bring England's allocation in line with UEFA competitions like the Champions League — though ideally, he would prefer even more options on the bench.

"You're not even allowed to travel with the team," the Arsenal manager lamented earlier this year. "So tell me another job where that happens. I can't walk into the kitchen tomorrow and tell two chefs they won't be cooking today — just go and watch the others cook or go home. It's really difficult."

Despite Arteta's frustrations, there were no similar grievances from his City counterpart Enzo Maresca, who made full use of the allocation by calling upon Jack Grealish, a player who had not appeared for City since May 2025.

Why Arsenal Would Benefit Most From Rule Change

In any push for larger squads, the clubs with the greatest depth would stand to gain the most. Yet following several years of heavy investment and limited player sales, Arsenal's pool of talent now stretches beyond even their wealthiest rivals.

Setting aside goalkeepers — whose inclusion is already required — and assessing the quality of the two additional players each club could realistically add if matchday squads were expanded from 18 to 20, it becomes clear why Arteta is so vocal on this issue.

When ranking the estimated transfer value of every Premier League squad's outfield players, the next two players in line to enter an expanded matchday roster for Arsenal would be valued at approximately $43.5 million combined. That figure comfortably surpasses the next deepest squads in the league (Manchester City and Chelsea), and is nearly double what Tottenham Hotspur's potential extra substitutes would be worth.

Data via Transfermarkt. € converted to $ at prevailing rate.

Even clubs like Manchester United and Liverpool find themselves short of proven quality once they reach the 19th and 20th names on their available player lists. While Arteta cannot find space for Martinelli — a player Galatasaray reportedly value at around $52 million — Michael Carrick is weighing up whether to hand Harry Amass or Toby Collyer a place on the bench.

The drop in squad depth becomes stark beyond the league's traditional powerhouses. The three newly promoted sides — Ipswich Town, Coventry City and Hull City — are widely tipped for a relegation battle, and even a Champions League contender like Aston Villa would not naturally gain much from such a rule change. Unai Emery boasts a strong starting lineup and a handful of quality substitutes, but the talent level drops off sharply after that.

While Arsenal's position as one of the few genuine beneficiaries of such a proposal explains Arteta's enthusiasm, it also makes it unlikely to be implemented any time soon. All significant Premier League rule changes must be put to a vote among the 20 member clubs, requiring at least 14 in favour to pass. Turkeys rarely vote for Christmas.