The Premier League is set to introduce five substitutions from next season, according to a report.
The Times claim top-flight clubs will vote tomorrow (Thursday, March 31) and agree to introduce the new rule. It had previously been opposed by some of the clubs in the league. The 'bigger' clubs are said to have been in favour of the change - as well as the Professional Footballers Association (PFA).
Having five substitutes has become standard practice across Europe. The Premier League remains the only major league in Europe to still have the limit at three. Now, it has been claimed there is enough support to move in line with elsewhere across the continent and also allow a total of nine players on the bench.
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Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has been a strong advocate for the rule change and he reiterated his stance earlier this month ahead of the Champions League clash against Inter Milan.
"We played Sunday, Wednesday, Saturday and Tuesday. That's a horrible schedule," he told a press conference. "If we can make changes, we will do that. If it's not, it's not. It's essential that we go again for the five subs.
"In one competition we don't have that. It makes so much difference. I don't see why it takes so long to understand that. The Premier League have to save their top players as well. It's not an advantage. It's about quality of football."
There have been a number of attempts over the past couple of years to get the rule introduced permanently after it was temporarily used in the Premier League when football restarted in May 2020. The change looked to alleviate the pressure on squads during an intense fixture schedule after the sport was halted due to the global pandemic.
The league opted against extending it last season as the 'smaller' teams in the division believed it would favour the top sides with extensive squads. Burnley boss Sean Dyche was among those to share that view.
He has previously told reporters: "The point I have made is that it is favourable to the big clubs who carry big squads of top players. It helps keep the group they might have active and more settled. It is more advantageous to clubs with 25 international players compared to those with smaller groups such as ours."
