Mikel Arteta Calls for Expanded Matchday Squads
Mikel Arteta is pushing hard for change – and he wants it now.
The Arsenal manager has urged Premier League chiefs to expand matchday squads immediately, insisting the move is essential for player welfare rather than tactical luxury.
Under current rules, clubs can name nine substitutes, an increase brought in during the Covid-19 pandemic. Arteta believes that is no longer enough for the demands placed on elite players and modern squads.
He wants that number raised so he is never forced to completely exclude a fit senior player from a matchday group.
The issue has cut particularly deep this season. As Arsenal prepare to face Aston Villa tonight, Arteta has already had to leave big names such as Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus out of his squad at times, a situation he says creates “a real problem” inside the dressing room.
“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,” Arteta 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 Spaniard is not just talking about minutes or rotation. He is talking about belonging.
He stressed how important it is to keep every squad member emotionally involved, even when they are not starting.
“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 added.
Those conversations, he admits, are draining. Telling a fully fit international that he is not only out of the XI but not even allowed to sit on the bench and warm up with his teammates goes against every instinct he has as a coach.
“The question should be put to the players more than anyone else,” Arteta said. “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 is convinced the answer would be unanimous.
“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.”
For Arteta, this is not a marginal detail. It goes to the heart of how a club functions.
“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, as he sees it, now sits squarely at the feet of the Premier League.
