Mikel Arteta Calls for Bigger Premier League Matchday Squads

Mikel Arteta has renewed his push for bigger Premier League matchday squads, warning that the modern calendar is placing an “unreal” load on players and leaving managers without vital options on the bench.

“I've been trying to persuade the Premier League and the clubs to be able to extend the number of players that we can have, especially the outfield players in the squads because we play more and more games and the load is unreal,” the Arsenal manager said.

He underlined the frustration of leaving fit professionals out purely because of squad limits, even when their specific qualities might be exactly what a game requires.

“Not giving the chance to those players to be able to be here to participate because maybe it demands the qualities of one of those players and we don't have them available,” he added. For Arteta, this is not a tactical quirk or a rotation choice. It is a structural problem.

“It’s just a shame so it's the most difficult part of the job,” he admitted. “But there's nothing to do with that, it's just a fact that we can bring 18 outfield players and we believe that for today's game these were the options that we needed, especially with the physical condition of certain players.”

While Arteta wrestles with numbers on a teamsheet, another Arsenal issue has gone quiet in the market. Napoli had been expected to intensify their pursuit of Arsenal’s No9 once Romelu Lukaku was sold. That next move has not arrived. The anticipated push has stalled, leaving the striker’s future still hanging in the balance.

Across the league, other forwards face uncertain horizons of their own. At Manchester United, a summer arrival from Bologna in July 2024 has yet to fully settle at Old Trafford, raising questions about how quickly he can adapt to the demands and scrutiny that come with the shirt.

Chelsea, meanwhile, appear more open to a clean break. Standard Sport have reported that the Blues would be willing to sanction the sale of Nicolas Jackson for the right price, a clear signal that their attacking department could yet be reshaped again before the window truly settles.

Squad sizes, heavy schedules, unsettled strikers: the numbers on paper keep changing. The pressure on managers and players does not.