Arteta urges Premier League to expand squads for player wellbeing

Mikel Arteta has urged the Premier League to introduce larger matchday squads from next season, arguing the current rules place an unnecessary mental strain on players who are repeatedly left out.

The Arsenal manager made an emotional appeal ahead of Saturday’s league trip to Leeds, calling for squads to be expanded in line with Champions League regulations.

Clubs are currently allowed to name 20 players for Premier League matches, with five substitutions permitted. Arteta believes that limit is no longer fit for purpose given the physical and psychological demands of the modern game.

“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,” Arteta said.

“These are the rules, hopefully the Premier League next season instead of 18 outfield players they will do 20. I beg them from here, like it is in the Champions League.”

Arteta wants matchday squads increased to 22 players, reducing the number of senior professionals forced to stay at home.

The Arsenal boss stressed that exclusion affects more than just minutes on the pitch.

“It’s much better to manage the squad, to maintain the value of the players, to maintain the mental health of the players,” he said. “Nobody wants to get out of the squad.

“The worst thing is to leave somebody [out].”

Christian Nørgaard and Kai Havertz are among the players to have missed out on Arsenal squads in recent weeks despite being fully available, highlighting the squeeze Arteta is facing with injuries currently minimal.

Arteta used a workplace analogy to underline how unusual football’s selection reality is compared to other professions.

“Every week we have to tell somebody, ‘tomorrow, you don’t do the job. You’re not even allowed to travel with the team’,” he explained.

“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.”

He added that players need to feel involved to believe they still have a chance.

“When you take that chance away, you have to leave that player because he feels that he’s not good enough. At the end, your decision is clear: I choose another 20 players in front of you.”

Arteta believes the workload across domestic and European competitions makes change inevitable.

“The demands on games are bigger,” he said. “So we need bigger squads.”

With Arsenal juggling Premier League and European commitments, Arteta feels aligning domestic rules with UEFA competitions would ease squad management and protect players’ wellbeing.

The Premier League has not yet indicated whether squad size rules will be reviewed ahead of next season. For now, Arteta must continue leaving senior players out as Arsenal push through a congested fixture list. The debate over player welfare, however, is likely to intensify as demands on squads continue to grow.

Should the Premier League expand matchday squads to protect players — or is selection pressure simply part of elite football?