Liverpool's squad is made up of 62
players.
The number of footballers on the books of
Premier
League clubs will be drastically
reduced if radical plans to overhaul squad sizes are approved.
League rules could be dramatically redrawn early next month, with a
new limit on the size of squads for a -season – perhaps as low as
25 players, but more likely around 30. If the new rule is agreed,
clubs would have to stick with those players regardless of injuries
and suspensions until, at least, the January transfer
window.
The news, welcomed by Uefa, comes following The Observer's
recent report into the "Anfield 62", the number of players
currently on the books at Liverpool. Arsenal have 59, Manchester
United 51 and Chelsea 46. The new rule – which needs support from
14 of the 20 clubs to be passed – would mean the "big four" clubs
picking from the same number of players as, say, Bolton, who have
the - Premier League's smallest squad of 27. The average squad size
is just over 40.
The idea won immediate support from Bolton. Phil Gartside, the
club's chairman, said he would be firmly behind the introduction of
a squad-limit rule. "Yeah, we'd go for that," Gartside said of the
plan, which has been proposed by the Premier League. "It's a good
idea. And my manager thinks it's a good idea," he added, after
discussing it directly with Gary Megson. Asked if there was a
general feeling among some clubs that it would be a good change to
the rules, Gartside said: "I've no idea, it's not been discussed."
But he pledged to canvass support for the proposal from his fellow
chairmen.
The plan comes in tandem with the Premier League's promise to
adopt, from the 2010-11 season, -quotas of "homegrown" players –
those who have been brought through a club's youth system. Talks
are ongoing on whether the quota should apply to a matchday squad
or a first-team squad named for the whole season. David Taylor,
chief executive of Uefa, the European governing body who have taken
the lead in adopting limits on squad sizes for their own
competitions, told Observer Sport that his organisation would back
the plans. "I'm very pleased to hear that not only are -they
-discussing these things, but the likelihood is they may well adopt
one or two ideas. It would be beneficial for the -English game in
general, so I'm very keen to see what happens."
Uefa do not always enjoy smooth relations with the Premier
League. The president, Michel Platini, has been a consistent critic
of the level of debt accumulated by clubs.
The Premier League confirmed that during their summer meeting in
the first week of June a day will be spent discussing how best to
implement the "home-grown" player quotas. Experts in the field have
been invited to offer advice. Clubs might have to select as many as
eight "home-grown" players – those who, under Uefa's definition,
have trained with a club for three successive years between the
ages of 15 and 21.
Taylor said he would be happy to offer advice, though the
Premier League have not invited any Uefa representation to next
month's meeting.
"They are big enough themselves to come to their own
conclusions," said Taylor. "Richard Scudamore [the -Premier
League's chief executive] is in touch from time to time, so we
talk. It's up to them."
A Premier League spokesperson said last night: "The 20 Premier
League clubs will -discuss various home-grown player systems at
their summer meeting and decisions will flow from that."
If the clubs do adopt the squad limits the Premier League will,
according to Taylor, become the first in Europe to do so. "I really
do hope they do it, because I really think it's in the best
interests of the game."