With the transfer window now closed, let’s assess how Arsenal’s squad fits in under the squad restrictions domestically and in Europe.
Premier League
The Premier League allow you to have a maximum of 17 non-homegrown senior players in the squad, with the total number of senior players adding up to no more than 25.
You can allocate the homegrown players however you want within those restrictions. For example, you could have 17 non-homegrown and 8 homegrown, or 10 non-HG and 15 HG, or 17 non-HG and zero HG.
As long as the total is 25 or under, and the total of non-homegrown players is 17 or under, there are no issues. There’s no minimum number of homegrown players required, only a maximum on the non-homegrown players.
The other thing to mention is the u21 list. If a player is under-21 (which is specifically defined as being born on or after 1st January 2001, for this season), then they don’t have to be named in the senior squad. You can have as many under-21s as you want.
With all that in mind, let’s take a look at how Arsenal’s squad breaks down.
Homegrown players (7): Holding, Nketiah, Ramsdale, White, Smith Rowe, Nelson, M. Smith
Non-Homegrown (15/17): Turner, Tierney, Gabriel, Cedric, Tomiyasu, Mari, Zinchenko, Partey, Odegaard, Vieira, Lokonga, Elneny, Xhaka, Jesus, Lewis
Under-21s: Saliba, Saka, Martinelli, Hein, Marquinhos, Sousa, Walters, and the rest of the academy
Clearly, Arsenal face no issues here. Due to Saliba, Saka, and Martinelli still counting as under-21 players, Mikel Arteta only has a senior squad of 22, with 15 non-homegrown players. Well under the restrictions in both cases.
Europa League
For the most part, the same rules apply in UEFA competitions. The squad limit is 25, the non-homegrown limit is 17, and “u21” means born after 1st January 2001.
But UEFA add two extra restrictions to complicate matters.
The first is that only four of your homegrown players can be trained at other clubs, the rest must be trained with your own. For Arsenal, that’s not an issue, as only Holding, Ramsdale, and White were trained elsewhere.
The second restriction is that under-21 players must have been at your club for two years. If they haven’t (for example, Marquinhos, who signed this summer), then they have to go on the senior squad list.
This means Marquinhos, Lino Sousa, Reuell Walters, Kaleel Green, and Henry Timi Davies can’t go on the u21 list this season. Joel Ideho also can’t go on the u21 list until October 6th, as he joined on October 6th, 2020.
Green and Davies are very unlikely to feature in the first team, as they’re still breaking into the u18s, but as you can see below, that still leaves Arsenal one player over the non-homegrown limit.
One player needs to be excluded, and it will likely be one of Sousa (left-back), Walters (right-back/centre-back), and Lewis (winger).
Homegrown players (7): Holding, Nketiah, Ramsdale, White, Smith Rowe, Nelson, M. Smith
Nketiah, Smith Rowe, Nelson, and Smith are all club-trained players
Non-Homegrown (18/17): Turner, Tierney, Gabriel, Cedric, Tomiyasu, Mari, Zinchenko, Partey, Odegaard, Vieira, Lokonga, Elneny, Xhaka, Jesus, Marquinhos, Sousa, Walters, Lewis
Under-21s: Saliba, Saka, Martinelli, Hein, and the rest of the academy
Other ineligible u21s: Ideho (until October 6th), Green, Davies
Given Lewis has featured for the u21s the least in the past year, he’s probably the most likely to miss out, but we’ll see when the squads are released.
The good news is that at least three of Marquinhos, Sousa, Walters, and Lewis will be eligible to join the senior squad on their European away days.
That will be a good experience for them, and given their strong performances for the u21s, they may even prove solid alternatives to the senior stars.