Mikel Arteta Calls for Expanded Matchday Squads in Premier League

Mikel Arteta has cranked up the pressure on the Premier League, urging officials to act “quickly” and expand matchday squads before this season is out.

The Arsenal manager wants the current limit of nine substitutes increased, arguing that player welfare is being compromised and that clubs are being forced into needless selection headaches.

Right now, managers can name nine players on the bench, already an increase on the pre‑Covid allowance of seven. For Arteta, that still isn’t enough for a modern schedule packed with domestic and international fixtures.

He doesn’t want to be in a position where a fully fit first‑team player is left at home on matchday.

His frustration has been sharpened by the quality of the players he has had to omit. Ahead of Arsenal’s clash with Aston Villa, Arteta has already seen big names such as Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus cut from squads this season, a situation he believes “creates a host of problems”.

“That is why I have been begging Premier League officials to extend those numbers just for the safety of the players, which is the most important thing,” he said.

“I think every team needs more than 20 players on the pitch, ideally, to maintain the level of demand in the international matches we face, but these are the rules, and within these rules, we have to play.”

The issue, for Arteta, is not only tactical. It is human.

He spoke of the “difficult” conversations that come with telling a senior professional he is not even part of the matchday group, left to watch the game from his sofa instead of the dugout.

“We need to be very close to the players to explain those situations in the right way, so that everyone feels their importance, because they will indeed be important,” he said.

Those talks wear on him. They clash with how he believes an elite squad should function: united, involved, and ready.

“The question should be put to the players more than anyone else,” Arteta continued. “What do they want? If they say: no, I would rather stay at home, then we will have a problem because they will not like what they are doing.”

He has no doubt what the answer would be.

“I am sure that if you ask the players, everyone would want to be part of the team on matchday, otherwise you would have to tell one of them that he is not even part of the matchday squad. That is extremely hard. And it will not benefit anyone.”

Arteta sees a simple fix and little excuse for delay.

“This does not benefit the club, nor does it benefit the assessment of the player, nor does it help them feel part of it. In my opinion, it is a real problem and it has a very simple solution.”

The ball now sits firmly in the Premier League’s court.