Oleksandr Zinchenko's potential arrival at Arsenal effectively 'guarantees' three more summer transfers as Mikel Arteta and Edu will have to focus on trimming down the first-team squad in order to avoid any issues regarding Premier League squad registration for next season
The Gunners have been extremely busy so far this summer, signing no less than four players in Brazil wonderkid Marquinhos, attacking midfielder Fabio Vieira, goalkeeper Matt Turner and striker Gabriel Jesus. Now the attention is shifted towards deal number five amid plans to raid Manchester City again.
Even if Zinchenko signs, he may not be the final piece in the jigsaw with regards to bolstering the Arsenal first-team squad before deadline day as the club continues to be linked with a move for Youri Tielemans, whilst the pursuit of Raphinha indicates they are open to bringing in competition on the right-wing.
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However, there's a mini problem for the north London outfit to solve as they along with the other 19 Premier League teams will be permitted to name a 25-man squad after the summer transfer window closes at the beginning of September. From which no more than 17 overseas players can be named with the remaining eight places available to homegrown members of the squad.
To be considered home-grown, players need to have been registered with any club affiliated to The Football Association or the Welsh FA 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).
Right now, the Arsenal players who currently meet the criteria are Benjamin White, Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah, Rob Holding, Aaron Ramsdale, Hector Bellerin, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Reiss Nelson. The reason Bukayo Saka, William Saliba, Gabriel Martinelli and Folarin Balogun aren't included is because they are born after January 1, 2001 which makes them eligible to be registered as Under-21 players.
So three of the four summer signings in Vieira, Turner and Gabriel Jesus - unlike Marquinhos - will take up non-homegrown spots in Arsenal's 25-man Premier League squad for next season as they can't be registered as Under-21 players who would be eligible throughout the campaign as their respective birth dates are not on or after January 1, 2001.
As things stand - and not including potential sales or arrivals - Bernd Leno, Alex Runarsson, Matt Turner, Pablo Mari, Cedric Soares, Auston Trusty, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Gabriel Magalhaes, Nuno Tavares, Kieran Tierney, Lucas Torreira, Mohamed Elneny, Granit Xhaka, Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Fabio Vieira, Gabriel Jesus and Nicolas Pepe make up the 19 overseas Arsenal players at Arteta's disposal.
Therefore if Zinchenko is reunited with the Spaniard and Gabriel Jesus at Arsenal, he would be classed as an overseas player thus taking the total up to 20 and leaving Arteta in a situation where he'd need to leave three senior players out to meet the requirement of no more than 17.
Now, taking the Gunners' planned summer transfer activity into account and it's effectively a 'guarantee' that at least three first-team players will be moved on - otherwise, they risk not being registered in the Premier League squad for next season.
In truth, Arsenal should have no issue meeting this demand as Leno is likely to leave, Trusty is reportedly joining Birmingham City on loan, Pepe is seeking a move away, Tavares has been linked with a loan exit, Torreira is said to have an agreement in place with Valencia whilst Mari and Runarsson have no future at the club and are free to leave.
In the event that all seven senior players were to be either sold or loaned out this summer, it would leave the Gunners with eight non-homegrown spots to fill in their 25-man Premier League squad for the 2022/23 season.
As a result, links to Zinchenko should speed up the process of Arsenal letting at least three senior players leave to create space for the 25-year-old in order to avoid any Premier League squad registration issues when the transfer window slams shut in a couple of months time.
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