The Premier League are expected to agree to allow five substitutions for next season after a number of clubs requested the return of the rule, but how will this affect Arsenal?
We are already believed to be hoping to bolster our squad in the coming window, with the focus tipped to be around bringing a striker and a central midfielder in, with another striker and/or a new right-back also tipped to be in our thinking.
This was before any new possible rule changes were being brought in, with the need to bolster our squad numbers ahead of a return to European football for next season, not that we have secured our place in a place in Europe as of yet.
Should we qualify for the Champions League as our current league position would permit, we will need a bigger squad to take on the challenge of both competitions, but we now have to figure out if the potential use of five subs in the Premier League will mean we have to further assess our transfer window.
Of course, the hope would be that the additional substitutes would allow further minutes for our young and upcoming future stars, with the likes of Charlie Patino, Zak Swanson and Giraud-Hutchinson all having warmed the bench more than once in the PL this term, but are yet to feature.
The likes of Chelsea and Manchester City are likely to profit due to having the larger squads in the division, while those at the bottom end of the table may get the brunt of it, but the fact that they are now expected to bring in the changes ahead of the new season means that clubs will have the opportunity to deal with their deficiencies in the pre-season.
Do you think Arsenal will change their transfer plans because of the rule change? Or would we already have been looking to bolster our squad sufficiently due to our likely European entry for the new term?
Patrick