by Tony Attwood
Just as the Premier League has its quaint regulations concerning players in PL matches, with the list of 25, the home grown list, and quite probably a few other quaint lists as well, so Uefa has its own little regulations that we have to go through each year.
What we haven’t yet found is any oddness that we had last season with Bramall who despite being born in England was not eligible as an English player because he wasn’t registered early enough. A bit like myself not being able to have a UK passport because I didn’t apply for one soon enough despite being born in England because my mother came from a Channel Island family. (I have got a passport so no worries, but if I didn’t have one and was refused one, it would be the same. Although not quite the same. If you see what I mean.)
With Uefa there is the A list of 25 players and these are players who can’t make it into the B list and it can only include a maximum of 17 players who were not ‘locally trained players’. The locally trained players can achieve that status by being in one of two groups.
Up to four can be association trained players meaning in our case that these are players that have been either with the club, or another club affiliated with the same association (ie England and quite possibly Wales, although I am not sure about that) for at least two consecutive years between the ages of 15 and 21. All the others must have been trained with Arsenal for at least two consecutive years between those ages.
The B list is unlimited in size but limited to players who were born after 31 December 1997, and have been eligible to play for Arsenal for two consecutive years (any two consecutive years that is) since attaining the ripe old age of 15.
All of which means the B list can stretch into infinity, and it is in the club’s interest to put as many players in the B list as it can.
Oh yes and each club can only field 11 players at any one time.
At least I think that is what it means.
So here we go
A-List: 1. Bernd Leno, 2. Hector Bellerin, 3. Kieran Tierney, 5. Sokratis, 8. Dani Ceballos, 9. Alexandre Lacazette, 10. Mesut Ozil, 11. Lucas Torreira, 14. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 15. Ainsley Maitland-Niles, 16. Rob Holding, 19. Nicolas Pepe, 20. Shkodran Mustafi, 21. Calum Chambers, 23. David Luiz, 26. Emiliano Martinez, 27. Konstantinos Mavropanos, 29. Matteo Guendouzi, 31. Sead Kolasinac, 33. Matt Macey, 34. Granit Xhaka, 35. Gabriel Martinelli, 63. James Hillson, 74. Joel Lopez
The odd ones out of course are the last two names – James Hillson and Joez Lopez.
Hillson is an 18 year old goalkeeper who we have got on loan from Reading at a time when he was on loan to Salisbury.
Lopez came from Barcelona’s academy system, he’s a defender and like Bellerin and Fabregas before him he decided to leave Spain and come to London.
B-List: 24. Reiss Nelson, 28. Joe Willock, 32. Emile Smith Rowe, 38. Folarin Balogun, 40. Tolaji Bola, 41. Robbie Burton, 42. Harry Clarke, 43. Trae Coyle, 45. Tyreece John-Jules, 47. Jordan McEneff, 48. Mark McGuinness, 49. Zech Medley, 52. James Olayinka, 53. Joseph Olowu, 54. Tobi Omole, 57. Matt Smith, 59. Zak Swanson, 61. Nathan Tormey, 69. Ben Cottrell, 76. Arthur Okonkwo, 77. Bukayo Saka.
What we find each year is that some of the B list players never make the match day squad – they are there just in case needed, and in case they make sensational progress through the year, and of course to motivate them to try ever harder – and indeed not to be tempted away by offers from other teams who are promising league match experience now.
we are so lucky to have eddie and tyreece. too lucky i think. it will take a minor miracle to keep both.
Eddie with 2 goals in Turkey, and Nelson with 1 goal in Turkey. Arsenal 3 – 2 Turkey
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The Sun has the “lowdown” on the WSL this season. You would expect a snake to have the “lowdown”, so that is a reasonable headline. No, I didn’t read the article.