Arsenal’s “25” for next season – we still have space for new players

Posted on by Tony Attwood

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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20 Replies to “Arsenal’s “25” for next season – we still have space for new players”

  2. Isn’t it pretty simple… Out of 25 you need at least 8 homegrown players on your squad. Youth don’t count toward total of 25.

  4. Tony, Benayoun is on loan from Chelsea and may be returned to them to easily free up another spot among the 17 non home-grown.

  5. So basically we have 8 spots left once the under performers are sold. I would say 5 new players are needed

  7. As I have looked into the U21 ruling impact on the whole arsenal squad, I can say that Henri Lansbury is part of the 1990 age group that will have to be registered/loaned/released for next season.

    For the 2012/13 season before sales and assuming Benayoun is not signed, there are 32 eligible senior players with 5 players of the 1991 age group to prove their worth before the next season starts (Shea, Bartley, Henderson, Coquelin, Watt).

    Names listed oldest to youngest (for the fun of it)

    GK
    Almunia (release)
    Fabianski (possibly sold for experienced number 2)
    Mannone (may be sold as he wants 1st team football)
    Szczesny (No. 1) HG

    DF
    Squillaci (sell/release)
    Sagna (contract extension)
    Santos (2nd season should help)
    Mertesacker (useful)
    Koscielny (The Boss)
    Vermaelen (Leader)
    Djourou (depends on this CB signing from Ajax) HG
    Gibbs (1st choice LB) HG
    Botelho (release not worth the time spent)
    Hoyte (release to re-start his career) HG

    MF
    Rosicky (Big player)
    Arteta (Top Pro)
    Diaby (needs a run of games – still a talent)
    Song (Strong in this box-to-box role) HG
    Denilson (Could be trained by Arteta but too many MFs – sell) HG
    Lansbury (Passionate but could he break into AW’s thoughts – loan/sell) HG
    Eastmond (Better players in his position – release) HG
    Ramsey (2nd full season, expect big things) HG

    FW
    Arshavin (Not showing his potential) sell
    Van Persie (Led by example)
    Chamakh (not shown effort to score – sell)
    Podolski (versatile goalscorer)
    Park (not used good finisher)keep/sell
    Gervinho (2nd season – needs clarity in final 3rd)
    Bendtner (big ego but not patient for a chance – sell)HG
    Vela (not sure he could do the Hernandez role, Spain suits him – sell)
    Walcott (Getting more potent for assists/goals) HG
    Murphy (release) HG

    So there are 11 non-HG and 8 HG players that are on the brink for leaving.

    There will be more movement in the GK and FW departments and with the likes of Martinez, Wilshere, Ox, Ryo, Joel Campbell, Coquelin etc all very likely to play their part during next season.

  8. Im afraid u have overlloked some players lansbury murphy and hoyte are all classed as homegrown for next season. also almunia botelho and vela are all classed as non-homegrown.

    however almunia benayoun hoyte and murphy are all out of contract. this leaves us with 18 non homegrown and 11 homegrown meaning at least one non-homegrown has to go plus one homegrown or 2 non-homegrown.

  9. I think Wenger’s fear is that he may not be able to ship out the players he would have loved to in order to bring in new faces. But, like you pointed out, those players need not be registered into the 25. Yes their wages may be a drain on the Club’s resources. But for the sake of the long-suffering fans, let’s get players who can win us something even if that means coming a little short in the bank……please!

  11. we need a layer wu can deliver some tin 4 us, nt player dat playin stylin football, i tink by secure d service of poldoski is very gud. more of it’.

  12. Sell the following or release

    Almunia
    Mannone
    Flappy
    Squid
    Eastmond
    Murphy
    Hoyte ( might have already been released)
    Lansbury
    Watt
    Park
    Chamack
    Arshavin
    Galinda
    Pedro
    Vela
    Bendtner
    Denilson
    Boateng
    Shea

    Loan out

    Henderson
    Frimpong
    Aneke

    Lots of work to do and leaves room salaries and maybe some generated cash to buy 3 more super quality players ( Holliet Vert Hazard MVilla whoever)

    Only seen Holliet play live but press love the others. Victor Moses or Fellani would be useful

  13. i just want jack back for more than twenty games at the level he left or higher.

  14. I would like a couple of players in. Another creative midfielder. Unless arsene plays arteta in that role once jack is fit I think rosicky is ahead of Ramsey and Ramsey needs to play without pressure for a year

  15. The problem for Arsenal is not the 25 number or the 17/8. AW need to decide who in the Arsenal system HE thinks will be able to provide the quality Arsenal needs and get rid of the rest, even if we lose money.

    We moved from Highbury to be able to compete with the biggest clubs in the world and “everyone” accepted that for a few years, we would have to do it on the cheap. Arsenal currently have one of the highest turn overs in world football. However, we have also one of the highest salary bills in England without having the biggest earners. Why is that? Maybe we need to rethink the amount we pay to the squad players, get more of the salary of the second best players based on results so that if we, and they, have an off season, we don´t have to pay silly money. At the same time, the salaries need to be competitive and as Arsenal is very likely to qualify for CL next season as well, we should be able to attract top quality players based on our reputation as a financially solid club that year after year play CL and attractive football at that.

    Where does this take us? Buy who we need without looking at the 25, 17, 8 numbers and sell/release those who doesn´t make the cut. Let´s face it, for years we have been running with profit in the transfer department, even without anyone paying ridiculous amount for our player (e.g. Ronaldo to from ManU, Torres from L´pool and Carroll from NU).

    Several earlier responses have argued well over different players and I agree with most. We do have the basis for an excellent team with Szczesny, Sagna, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Song, Arteta, Wilshere, Rosicky, Walcott, van Persie, etc. We have some very good “squad players”/promising youth in Mertesacker, ,Santos, Gibbs, Gervinho, Ramsey (when played as AM), Coquelin, Miyaichi, Gervinho, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Martinez, Yennaris, Eisfeld, Bartley, Miquel, Ozyakup, etc. We have to wait and see what Podolski will bring. If we want to truly challenge for the title with the style we play, we need probably ~2 world class players. We cannot rely on van Persie to play as well next season as he did this. As soon as we lost Arteta, we went on a slump. Let’s hope and prey Diaby can stay fit and we can enjoy his true skills a whole season. Remember, last summer, we sold 3 from our starting XI (Fabregas, Nasri and Clichy), althoug Cesc palyed only around 20 or so games. We need to keep the players we want to keep.

  16. We missing Ignasi & Bartley. Both shud stay in the squad for the future.

  17. @gunner4life

    Bartley is in the list. I don’t see Ignasi Miquel either (or the young goaltender, now out on loan).

    I wonder what things have been like for Bartley, with all the turmoil at Rangers. I would imagine Arsenal is following things there. But Bartley does seem to be playing a lot up there.

  18. I have been looking, But cannot find an instance where Wenger or Arsenal for that matter have signed a loanee permanently after a loan spell with the club. If Benayoun stays next season I think it will be a first. Anyone know of a loanee signed permanently. I have only looked as far back as 78 season.

  19. The list of youngsters is more than impressive and we will reap the rewards in a couple of years time, meanwhile we just have to make a few holes in the squad to allow a couple of new experienced players in. Much will depend on how successful Wenger is at off loading.

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