Arsenal have lost six players from their squad so far in the summer transfer window and there is a chance one or two more might follow those already departed out of the door.
Takehiro Tomiyasu had his contract terminated by mutual consent this week, folowing an injury-hit couple of years with the Gunners.
He joined Thomas Partey – who was charged with rape four days after his Arsenal contract expired – Kieran Tierney, Jorginho, Neto and Raheem Sterling in leaving the club since the end of the 2024/25 season.
Only one new player has come into the club on the flip side, with Kepa Arrizabalaga joining in a £5million deal from London rivals Chelsea to offer competition to David Raya.
Arsenal only named a 22-man squad in the Premier League last season, with Mikel Arteta operating with a smaller number of players. That may well have cost them in the race for the title, however, with a number of injuries hitting them hard in the second half of the campaign.
With six players leaving and only one coming in thus far, Arsenal have a squad of 17 currently, albeit with two young regulars in Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri on the Under-21s list.
There are more players expected to arrive at the club, with Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard the most likely to sign with the Gunners in the coming days. And they need signings as 19 first teamers is clearly not enough to go into a season challenging in four different competitions.
So what are the rules around Premier League squads ahead of the start of the 2025/26 season?
Each club’s squad must contain no more than 17 players who do not fulfil the “Home Grown Player” criteria. The rest of the squad, up to a total of 25 players, must be “Home Grown”.
A “Home Grown Player” means a player who, irrespective of nationality or age, has been registered with any club affiliated to the Football Association or the Football Association of Wales for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons, or 36 months, before his 21st birthday (or the end of the season during which he turns 21).
A club’s Under-21 players are not included on the 25-man squad lists and are eligible to play in the Premier League.
Interestingly, there are no rules around a minimum squad number you can take into any given Premier League season. The understanding is that a club, if they so wished, could go into a season with a full list of Under-21 players.
So while Arsenal do not have to meet any Premier League rules, they would like to add some more senior figures to the dressing room.
