Arsenal’s “25″ for next season – we still have space for new players « Untold Arsenal: Arsenal News. Supporting the Lord Wenger; coach of the decade

By Tony Attwood

I am interested in how Arsenal will cope with the 25 rule for next season.  So first, to remind you of the rules…

All Premier League clubs must nominate a squad containing no more than 17 players who do not fulfil the Home Grown Player criteria. The remainder of the squad, up to a total of 25 players, must be Home Grown.

A Home Grown Player means a player who, irrespective of his 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 prior to his 21st birthday (or the end of the Season during which he turns 21).

Changes to the squad list of 25 may be made during the period of a Transfer Window or at other times only with the permission of the Board.

U21 players are eligible over and above the limit of 25 players/squad.  For the 2012/13 campaign Under 21 players will have been born on or after 1st January 1991.

The list below is numbered only to see how close we are to the 17 non-home-grown players – the numbers don’t mean anything else.  The names are written as per the official register.

• 1 Clarindo Dos Santos, Andre
• 2 Arshavin, Andrey
• 3 Arteta Amatriain, Mikel
• 4 Benayoun, Yossi
• 5 Chamakh, Maroune
• 6 Diaby, Vassiriki Abou
• 7 Squillaci, Sebastien
• 8 Fabianski, Lukasz
• 9 Yao, Gervais Kouassi (Gervinho)
• 10 Vermaelen, Thomas
• 11 Koscielny, Laurent
• 12 Van Persie, Robin
• 13 Mertesacker, Per
• 14 Park, Chu Young
• 15 Rosicky, Tomas
• 16 Sagna, Bacary
• 17 Podolski, Lukas

Since we have no spaces in the 17 we have to get rid of one or two names if we want to add more.  A top three might be Squillaci, Arshavin and Park.  You will notice quite a few names from this season like Vela, Almunia, Denilson etc have already been discounted.  Remember also that even if players can’t be transferred but are now surplus to requirements, they don’t have to be on the 25.  A player not on the 25 can sit and take his salary, but he constantly reduces his chance of getting a transfer later.  His value in fact, declines.

So, at most I can see us having 3 gaps.

Home grown players aged over 21 – 8 max allowed (unless of course we don’t fill up the 17).

• 1 Gibbs, Kieran James Ricardo
• 2 Mannone, Vito
• 3 Song Bilong, Alexandre Dimitri
• 4 Walcott, Theo James
• 5 Djourou-Gbadjere, Johan Danon

Moving up from the under age class of this season

1. Eastmond, Craig Leon *
2. Ramsey, Aaron James *
3. Szczesny, Wojciech Tomasz *

All three are home grown, so could fit into the home grown group, and fill up the three places.  If Eastmond doesn’t, and leaves the club, that means we now have (following the departure of 3 players from the overseas group, none from the home grown group, and one from the “moving up” group this situation…

• Overseas: 14 out of 17
• Home grown 7 out of 8

Under age.

This list is not limited, and here I am just noting those who might actually be in the first team squad.  Traditionally Arsenal nominate their whole junior squad for this part of the registration.

1. Afobe, Benik
2. Bartley, Kyle
3. Campbell, Joel
4. Coquelin, Francis
5. Ebecilio, Kyle Stephen Joel
6. Eisfeld, Thomas
7. Frimpong, Emmanuel Yan
8. Jenkinson, Carl Daniel
9. Lansbury, Henri George
10. Miyaichi, Ryo
11. Oxlade-Chamberlain, Alexander Mark David
12. Ozyakup, Oguzhan
13. Wilshere, Jack Andrew
14. Yennaris, Nicholas

So based on my assumptions we have four places left in the squad – three overseas and one homegrown – with the option of using all those spaces for home grown players.  Likewise we can add as many youngsters to the squad as we like.

It is actually beginning to look like a fairly nifty squad to me.

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