Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta’s understanding of football is up there with the best in the world.
The Spaniard had never managed a club before the Gunners gave him the opportunity in 2019, and he has since transformed them on and off the pitch.
Arteta is now on track to lead Arsenal to the Premier League title, and he could help his side win the three other trophies as well.
Looking ahead, the Arsenal manager wants the game to evolve even further, so he wants the league’s governing body to step in and change one rule.
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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta begs the Premier League to make a rule change
The two big complaints every manager in the Premier League has are fixture congestion and the squad size.
The number of games played every season is going up, and that does not look like it is going to change any time soon.
So, the obvious solution is to increase the size of the squad and the number of players who can be selected for a game.
Currently, apart from the 11 on the pitch, clubs are allowed to have nine players on the bench. 18 of those 20 slots are occupied by the outfield players, which, looking from the outside, seems big enough.
However, Mikel Arteta is adamant that the matchday squad size needs to go up, and he has now begged the Premier League to increase the number by two.
He said in his press conference, as per Football London: “At the moment, there are two or three players that have to be out of the squad. That’s a reality. I cannot change that. These are the rules.
“Hopefully, in the Premier League next season, instead of 18 outfield players, it will be 20. I beg them from here, like it’s 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, because nobody wants to get out of the squad.
“So, I beg them that if we can, between all of us, help us on that. We can bring them, we can deal with hotels, travels and all that, and that would be very, very helpful for everybody, because that’s the worst thing when you need to leave someone out.”
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Pep Guardiola agrees with Mikel Arteta’s rule-change request
Arteta is absolutely right.
If more players are allowed on the bench, there will not just be more options for the managers, but the players will feel valued as well. It will also allow youngsters from the academy to come into the matchday squads.
It’s not just Arteta who is in favour of this; even Pep Guardiola expressed his desire for this rule to be changed at the start of this season.
The Manchester City boss said in August 2025: “I would love the Premier League to say, ‘You can allow on the bench the players you want’.
“I would love it because everybody can play, more alternatives.”
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