Mikel Arteta is set to finally have his two-year Arsenal demand met with the Premier League reportedly having "agreed" on reintroducing the five substitutions rule. The ruling was originally introduced during the 2019/20 campaign as a way to alleviate pressure on squads during the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, the Premier League elected to drop the rule ahead of the 2020/21 campaign, a decision that went against IFAB’s call to retain five substitutions until at least the end of this year. That decision earned criticism from a number of top-flight managers including Mikel Arteta.
Speaking in 2020, the Spaniard said: "I think the most important thing at the moment is the welfare of the players and the best way to protect them and have options to protect them is to have the option to extend the substitutes
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"So it’s like yes, we’ll give you a little bit of this so that you can have an extra two on the bench but not the option to change.
"We are the only ones doing that and for me that doesn’t make a lot of sense but obviously it’s not up to us."
Now though, Arteta appears to have finally got his wish with reports from The Times suggesting that the league has agreed to allow the rule to return next season, with a vote set to be taken. It is further reported that there is now confidence that clubs will vote in favour of five substitutions being introduced.
Another of an Arsenal persuasion who will likely be content to see the rule return is Arsene Wenger. During coverage of Euro 2020, the Frenchman indicated the benefits of each side having an increased number of substitutes.
He said: "Interesting maybe to notice that it is the first time that the tournament is played with five substitutes. It has reduced the level of fatigue.
"When you play with three, you play only two because the last one you have to change in the last five, 10 minutes in case you have an injury. You have seen it has reduced the difference between the teams."
