Mikel Arteta in a press conference.
Mikel Arteta wants changes to the Premier League rules. (Image: Getty Images)
Mikel Arteta has called for a Premier League rule change regarding the number of Arsenal players he can name in a matchday squad. When questioned about omitting players such as Christian Norgaard, he said: "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 of the Premier League next season, instead of 18 outfield players it will do 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.
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"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 somewhere.
"But at the end you have positions played, I can play in various positions and you cannot overload certain positions and weaken them, so that's normally the process to make that decision, because it's never about, if it's about how he trains, how he behaves, how he talks, how he helps everybody, it needs to be in every minute of every game."
Norgaard played 89 minutes during Arsenal's Champions League victory over Kairat on Wednesday, representing just over a seventh of his total playing time this season.
Arteta subsequently explained: "Because we have a really unique job, which is we have the ability to transform somebody's life, career, which is great. But as well, every week we have to tell somebody, tomorrow you don't do the job. You're not even allowed to travel with the team.
"So tell me a job that you do that. 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.
"So someone that wants to feel part of that, he needs to be there. He needs to travel, he needs to be there and he has to have the feeling that he has a chance. When you take that chance away, you have to leave that player because he feels that he's not good enough.
"Because at the end, your decision is clear. I chose another 20 players in front of you. And I think this is something I worry about. Why? Because the demands on games are bigger. So we need bigger squads.
"So it doesn't make a lot of sense to restrict that, in my opinion. So I think we need to expand that and give the possibility to allow everybody to be part of that. And then we can make the right choice in relation to the game.
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Arsenal FC v FC Kairat Almaty - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD8
Mikel Arteta spoke in depth about Christian Norgaard. (Image: Getty)
"And then we can manage better the minutes, the psychological and emotional moment, and then how we want to change the game. And I think it's better for absolutely everybody. That's my opinion."
Currently, Premier League matchday squads can include 20 players, with European competitions operating under different regulations.
Arteta can name up to 23 players, but various other rules permit additional names to feature throughout the tournament.
List A cannot exceed 25 players, though additional stars may be included in List B, provided that, according to UEFA regulations, "he is born on or after 1 January 2004 and has, since his 15th birthday, been eligible to play for the club concerned for any uninterrupted period of two years, or a total of three consecutive years with a maximum of one loan period to a club from the same association for a period not longer than one year".
Arsenal arguably boast the Premier League's most comprehensive squad, yet this hasn't prevented injuries amid the relentless fixture schedule.
These worries have diminished recently for Arteta, with Max Dowman appearing to be the only unavailable player following encouraging news regarding Jurrien Timber and William Saliba.
Regarding the defensive pair, who were absent from the midweek win, Arteta explained: "Yeah, they are okay. Obviously, they have played a lot of minutes, they've been carrying a few niggles, and it was a really good opportunity for us to offload them a little bit and refresh them."
Arsenal have similarly been handling Kai Havertz's knee issue, with his start against Kairat marking his first in almost 12 months. Throughout his 45-minute appearance, the Germany international netted an excellent strike and set up Viktor Gyokeres' opening goal.
"Yeah, he's ready, obviously he started the day," Arteta added. "Obviously it's been a long period and now we need to manage that load and the games that we're going to select for him to start, but there was no reaction to that.
"I think it was super positive, you could see straight away the impact that he can have in the team, so yeah, he's ready."