Why Arsenal must sell before buying

This summer’s repeat exercise of an Arsenal squad summary is a reflection of the manager’s gentle reminder here. The Premier League squad rule must be respected. 25 senior players can be registered and used. A limitless number of U21 players can make up the numbers.

There are three rules:

1. Of the 25 players permitted in a Premier League first team squad, at least 8 - eight - need to be "home grown", i.e. registered with an English or Welsh club for at least three years before turning 21.

Arsenal have Bendtner, Djourou, Gibbs, Mannone, Song and Walcott. That’s six.

The 1990 generation, who are no longer U21s, are Ramsey, Eastmond, Lansbury and Szczesny. That’s four. So even if Eastmond and Lansbury leave, permanently or on loan as has been expected, Arsenal have eight home-grown players.

Since the end of last season, Vela and Botelho have left, while Denilson has been loaned out and will not take part in the coming league campaign.

2. A maximum of 17 players can be foreigners over the age of 21.

With 10 homegrown players, Arsenal still need to restrict the total number of players over 21 to 25. So if Eastmond and Lansbury stay, there are 15 places in the squad for foreigners.

Arsenal currently have Arshavin, Arteta, Chamakh, Diaby, Fabianski, Gervinho, Giroud, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Park, Podolski, Rosicky, Sagna, Santos, Squillaci, van Persie and Vermaelen. That makes for 17 players.

While Nasri, Eboue, Benayoun and Almunia have left since these maths last appeared on this blog,  27 players remain in total. Someone has to go. More about that later.

First Arsenal's great advantage:

3. A limitless number of players under 21 years of age (at the start of the calendar year) can be registered.

The following Arsenal players are born in 1991: Bartley, Coquelin, Henderson, Shea and Watt.

1992: Boateng, Frimpong, Galindo, Jenkinson, Martinez, Meade, Miquel and Wilshere.

1993: Afobe, Aneke, Eisfeld, Hajrovic, Neita and Yennaris.

While some of these players will continue their development in the Reserves or out on loan, they are others who are already established first-teamers and indeed internationals. Arsenal are renowned for the strength of their youth teams.

Now what?

The main transfer saga this season, Robin van Persie's departure to - allegedly - Manchester or Turin, rumbles on. His new teammate Lukas Podolski is even holding out for his number 10 shirt. While Arsène Wenger still officially wants his captain to remain, it's likely to be phrases intended to hike up his asking price.

Meanwhile, Andrei Arshavin is said to be negotiating with teams on the Arab peninsula, a last payday for a 31-year-old.

And Nicklas Bendtner keeps being linked with any and every team in Europe. Whether his own demands or Arsenal's seem to hinder any bid from anyone isn't known. So far this summer the Dane has been linked with 13 clubs in the media. That's still short of last summer's incredible haul of 21 clubs, before he ended up with Sunderland on loan. Perhaps his agents are being a little bit more discreet this year?

Anyway, if - a big if - all of these three leave still only one place is freed up in the Premier League squad. Bendtner's status as "home grown" wouldn't mean much as Henri Lansbury or Craig Eastmond make up the numbers if at least one of them stays.

But were Bendtner, Lansbury and Eastmond all to leave, Arsenal would still need to shed two foreigners to have a squad in keeping with Premier League rules.

Whether there will be any room in the roster at all, and whether it will be filled by Santi Cazorla or anyone else of the more than 150 players linked this summer, remains to be seen.