Home grown rule
The technical reason behind the exclusion of Mesut Ozil and Sokratis from the Gunners' Premier League squad back in October was the Premier League home grown rule.
In a 25-man squad, at least 8 players should be home grown. Home grown refers to a player who spent 3 years between ages 16 and 21 at an English football club.
There were too many non-home grown players in the squad after the transfer deadline in October, and two men had to be left out of the squad, with Arteta choosing Mesut and Papa.
Note that Under-21 players are exempt from the rule and teams can use as many U21 players as they like, so the likes of Martinelli, Smith Rowe and Saka are not in the 25-man squad list.
Current situation
Ozil, Sokratis and Kolasinac have already left Arsenal. Their departures meant the Gunners had one free spot for a non-home grown player which is now going to be taken by Maty Ryan. The keeper is not a home grown player as he played in Australia until the age of 21.
Arsenal's current squad includes:
- 21 players over the age of 21
- 4 home-grown players among them
It means that if Arsenal sign a non-home grown player, they can't register him before leaving another non-home grown player out of the squad first.
Arsenal are now on the verge of signing Martin Odegaard. The Norwegian is 22 so he can't be counted towards the U21 squad. He is not home grown.
His arrival would mean another non-home grown player has to be deregistered.
Who could be left out?
Arsenal are said to be considering loaning out Alex Runarsson, with either Karl Hein or Arthur Okonkwo stepping up from the Academy side and taking up the Icelander's role as the third-choice goalkeeper.
Shkodran Mustafi reportedly considers leaving Arsenal this month but has not attracted interest from other sides yet.
Either Musti or Runarsson could be de-registered because they are unlikely to have a significant role to play in the remainder of the season.
Less likely options to be left out are Mo Elneny and Cedric Soares. Mohamed is currently our fourth-choice central midfielder, while Cedric is the odd one out in the right-back department as we have too many players in that position (Bellerin and Niles, both home grown, and Soares).
Many fans would have preferred Willian to be excluded but it's very unlikely given Mikel Arteta still trusts the Brazilian and wants to get the best out of him.
What about new left-back?
Arsenal are also said to be keen on adding a left-back to cover for Tierney. Ryan Bertrand has been named as a potential candidate, and the Southampton defender can be registered without having to exclude anyone because Ryan is home grown.
Another player reportedly tracked by the Gunners, Crystal Palace's Tyrick Mitchell is 21 years old and does not have to be registered in the 25-man squad. He will be considered home grown next season.
Who do you think Arsenal should leave out of the 25-man squad if we get Odegaard?
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