In a Premier League campaign that is increasingly dictated by injuries, squad rotation and a jam‑packed calendar, the ability of a team to cope when its first‑choice eleven are unavailable can be a decisive factor in its fortunes. The question therefore arises: how much quality lies beyond each club's regular starting XI? How much of that quality is retained when starters are forced out, and where do the squads exhibit the greatest strengths and the most glaring weaknesses? Moreover, how often do managers actually deploy their alternatives, and what impact do those bench players have when they are called upon?
To answer these queries, we have constructed a series of indices that measure squad depth, competitive readiness and the practical use of substitutes across the English top flight. Our Overall Squad Depth Index aggregates a range of variables – from the retention of quality between a club's first and second eleven, to the overall reserve talent, positional coverage, actual rotation patterns and the readiness of players to step in at short notice. In parallel, the Competitive Depth Index adds a layer of expected performance standards, using Sky Sports' super‑computer forecasts and Transfermarkt market valuations to gauge whether a squad can meet the rigours of its upcoming fixture list, including short turn‑arounds and known injury histories. When these models are applied, Arsenal emerge as the clear leaders in both categories, confirming the view that Mikel Arteta has assembled one of the most robust and reliable squads in the Premier League.
The methodology behind the analysis combines Opta playing‑time data with Transfermarkt's estimated market values. First, we identified each club's established starting XI and then pinpointed the strongest alternatives available for every position.
The model then calculates how much quality is retained when the first‑choice players are replaced, evaluates the depth of the reserve pool, and measures positional cover. Rotation is assessed by looking at the proportion of league minutes played by players outside the core eleven, while player readiness is judged by recent Premier League performances, adjusted for sample size to avoid distortion from brief cameo appearances. Arsenal's summer transfer activity illustrates a focused approach to deepening the squad. While the Gunners were linked with high‑profile targets such as Vinícius Júnior and Julián Álvarez, they ultimately secured the services of Bruno Guimarães and Ezri Konsa.
These additions complement a back four and midfield already brimming with talent, and they provide valuable insurance against the injury list that plagued Arteta's side last season. The market value of Arsenal's named substitutes in Premier League matches this season averages £367m, a figure that dwarfs every other club's bench valuation. Considering that Premier League clubs typically pay around 36% above Transfermarkt estimates, the effective bench value approaches £500m, underscoring the depth of quality at the Emirates. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the three newly promoted clubs – Hull City, Coventry City and Ipswich Town – possess the lowest average bench values.
Yet even within the mid‑table, Brentford stand out with an average bench valuation of £129m, positioning them just outside the traditional "big six" in terms of squad wealth. Market value alone, however, does not tell the whole story. To gauge the practical contribution of substitutes, we measured the output of every player who entered a Premier League match as a sub over the previous two full seasons and the current campaign.
Goals and assists per 90 minutes were adjusted toward the league average based on the size of each player's substitute sample, preventing a single brief goal from inflating a player's ranking. By this metric, Arsenal rank second only to Brighton in goal involvements per 90 minutes when coming off the bench, and when raw totals are considered, the Gunners lead the league. Since the start of the 2023/24 season, Arsenal's substitutes have logged 4,340 minutes, contributing 27 combined goals and assists.
This translates to an adjusted rate of roughly 0.54 goal involvements per 90 minutes – a respectable figure that highlights the tangible impact the bench can have when called upon. The demanding schedule ahead, especially after the international break, will likely require Arteta to lean on this depth more than ever. Depth is only useful if managers are willing to utilise it. By ranking each club's players according to Premier League minutes and dividing them into three tiers – core XI, regular rotation and fringe players – we observed distinct patterns.
Tottenham Hotspur, for example, have already allocated a relatively high share of minutes beyond their core eleven, despite not competing on as many fronts as some rivals. Conversely, Manchester United's core accounts for more than 88% of their total minutes, a figure only surpassed by Bournemouth and Everton, suggesting that United have yet to fully trust their rotational options under Michael Carrick. Arsenal and Manchester City stand out for having a broader distribution of minutes: players ranked 12th to 22nd in each squad have collectively accounted for around 15% of total league minutes, indicating a willingness to rotate and rest key personnel. To test the resilience of each squad, we simulated a worst‑case scenario in which every member of a club's first XI is unavailable due to injury or suspension.
By constructing a standardized first XI based on current playing‑time data and then assembling the strongest possible second XI from the remaining roster, we could compare the retained value. Arsenal's first XI is estimated at £580m, while their second XI is valued at £536m – a retention rate of roughly 92%.
Manchester City's second XI, by contrast, is worth £428.2m less than its first XI, a drop largely driven by the steep decline in value when Erling Haaland is omitted. Two clubs – Aston Villa and Hull City – actually possess a second XI that exceeds the usage‑based value of their first XI, reflecting aggressive late‑window transfer activity and the potential for upcoming integration of new signings. Depth issues often become apparent when a specific position lacks adequate cover. To pinpoint these vulnerabilities, we broke each squad down into ten distinct roles: goalkeeper, right‑back, centre‑back (four options, given two starting spots), left‑back, defensive midfield, central midfield, attacking midfield, left wing, right wing and centre‑forward.
We then identified the two strongest credible options for each role, and four for centre‑back. The analysis revealed that Arsenal, despite overall strength, are markedly thin on the left wing after the departures of Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard. Liverpool face an even more acute problem on the opposite flank following Mohamed Salah's exit. The weakest positions across the league are the attacking midfield roles at Brighton, Crystal Palace and Newcastle, clubs that often operate without a traditional number 10.
Everton rank 20th for centre‑forward depth, scoring a low 36.1 after a failed pursuit of Folarin Balogun. This does not imply that their starting striker, Thierno Barry, is the poorest in the division; rather, the quality of the alternatives behind him is comparatively low. When the entire league is considered, the reigning champions are among the most well‑rounded squads. Aston Villa edges them in the pure Squad Depth Score, which measures the strength of alternatives relative to the starting eleven.
Recent departures of players such as Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins, Youri Tielemans, Ezri Konsa and Emi Martinez have narrowed the gap between first‑team regulars and rotation options. Youthful talent also plays a role in squad depth. Our model includes development players who have either established a market value or already earned Premier League minutes.
Chelsea boast the most valuable cohort of young first‑team players, with seven individuals aged 21 or under collectively worth £229.5m. Manchester City rank second with £190.9m, followed by Brighton (£179.1m), Manchester United (£177.1m) and Bournemouth (£159.5m).
However, high market value does not always translate into playing time. Brighton and Manchester United are the only two of these five clubs that rank within the top five for minutes played by their young players, whereas Manchester City's youngsters have logged just 257 minutes and Arsenal's two promising prospects have accumulated 282 minutes. Finally, we simulated the removal of each first‑team player to see how the squad would reconfigure. This exercise highlights which individuals and positions would cause the greatest structural disruption if lost.
Predictably, goalkeepers dominate the list, with Brighton's Bart Verbruggen identified as the most detrimental absentee. Among outfield players, Aston Villa's emerging talent George Hemmings, Bournemouth's Adrien Truffert and Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton emerge as critical losses for their respective clubs. In summary, while Arsenal currently sit atop the metrics for both overall and competitive squad depth, the Premier League remains a competition where depth, rotation policy and the effective use of young talent can make the difference between a season of triumph and one of struggle.
Clubs that can blend market value, actual playing time and positional coverage will be best positioned to navigate the inevitable injury crises and fixture congestion that define modern top‑flight football.