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Ed Mackey

Premier League headlines as clubs decide to introduce five substitutes ruling

Here are the latest Premier League headlines for Thursday, March 31.

Premier League clubs agree to enforce five substitutes rule

The Premier League have today confirmed that, from the beginning of next season, clubs will be allowed to make five substitutions during matches. It is a rule that was temporarily put in place at the back end of the 2019/20 season after the campaign was postponed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, the Premier League were the only major European league to not continue with the ruling, something that was criticised by the managers of the so-called ‘bigger clubs’. Many believed that such a rule would provide an unnecessary benefit to the sides with the larger squads but a majority at today’s stakeholder meeting voted in favour of five subs.

Read more: Jesse Marsch 'in favour' of five substitutes after Premier League rule change

Luke Ayling opens up on deadling with a stammer

From the outside looking in, you probably wouldn’t know Luke Ayling has to deal with a stammer due to his extroverted personality. However, the Leeds United right-back admitted that he has spent a lot of his career uncomfortable with doing interviews as a result of his speech impediment.

Speaking to BBC Sport, he said: “When I first came to Leeds, I wasn’t comfortable at all doing interviews. And I’ve kind of got to a point now where I just don’t care.

“If I do an interview and I have a stutter, I see a lot of things online when people say that I say ‘then’ and ‘like’ a lot but that’s my safety blanket kind of thing. Because I know that I can get those words out. I see a lot of people who maybe don’t know that I’ve got a stutter say ‘all I hear is then and like’.

“I just got to a point where I just thought, do you know what, I’m doing an interview with somebody who wants to speak to me and who actually wants to hear what I’ve got to say so why am I scared to do it? Because I shied away for so long from doing it.

“But I will still go to a drive-thru and I’ll be sat in the driver’s seat and I’ll still make my missus order it because I don’t want to do it. So, I still have those insecurities.

“It’s horrible because I sit here and I’ve got loads of things that I want to say but I know I can’t get them out so I just ramble on. That’s probably why I’m quite loud in the dressing room and just don’t care because I just say what I feel.”

PSG chairman admits there is no chance of European Super League return

The failed plans to introduce a European Super League were very well documented when they crashed and burned almost a year ago. Despite their initial proposal being immediately rejected, largely by supporters, there are worries that the involved clubs will return with newer plans to execute a similar concept.

Although, the Paris Saint-Germain chairman, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, has claimed that there is no chance it will succeed. The French giants distanced themselves from the plans at the time and were very much in opposition to the proposal.

“With the ESL or non ESL - I hate to say Super League - you are talking about three clubs. They know there is no chance," Al-Khelaifi told BBC Sport. “People are dying in Ukraine and have nowhere to sleep - and we are fighting about Super League?

"The problem with ESL clubs is that they don't have stability. They don't have a long-term financial vision. They keep talking about their legal contract [with ESL]. What they forget is football is a social contract, it's not a legal contract - they're waving around a piece of paper.

"Florentino Perez spoke to me at the Champions League game and said 'we have to get a point where we can speak to you'. I was really tough with him. I said I was happy to talk but if he was going to do stuff behind my back, I am not interested.”

Go here for all the latest Leeds United news.

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