Arsenal fans left furious as ‘ridiculous’ new rule set to arrive in the Premier League, but one star could benefit

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Arsenal fans are often at odds with the PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) after a string of controversial moments.

There was the time when Michael Oliver bizarrely sent Gabriel Martinelli off with two yellow cards at once, something we have seldom seen in the Premier League.

Additionally, Arsenal fans were livid last season when Declan Rice was dismissed for kicking the ball away and delaying the restart, as was Leandro Trossard during the 2-2 draw against Manchester City, when the Belgian, in fairness, had barely a second to withdraw from his kick once the whistle had sounded.

Now, the PGMOL have done something else to wind Arsenal supporters up, as a new rule is set to arrive for the 2025/26 campaign.

Arsenal fans complain over new rule regarding goalkeepers and time wasting

Next season, if a goalkeeper holds the ball for longer than eight seconds, referees will award a corner as the Premier League aim to stamp out time wasting.

Given the aforementioned gripes Arsenal fans have previously had with officials, and inconsistent enforcement of certain rules, few people associated with the Gunners appear pleased about this.

One Arsenal supporter was in a pessimistic mood after hearing about the new rule, writing on X (previously known as Twitter): “Can’t wait to be the only team penalised (just) for PGMOL to abandon the rule in September.”

Another example of this would be when Arsenal were charged for surrounding the referee during an FA Cup clash against Oxford – something we often see in most games, but it rarely leads to a charge for other teams.

Another fan wrote “we are actually screwed” on X – David Raya will just have to ensure he doesn’t give referees a chance to punish him next term.

A third supporter echoed the sentiment, posting: “This will be enforced stringent for about six weeks at the start of the Premier League season, resulting in Arsenal dropping points from said corner, then the refs will revert to the mean.”

Another quipped: “The law will be different for Arsenal, right PGMOL?”

A fifth fan was more in general shock at the news, posting: “Is this real? Utterly ridiculous.”

Gabriel Magalhaes might disagree with these Arsenal fans, as new rule could prove highly beneficial

The aerial ability of Gabriel Magalhaes when attacking corners in recent seasons at Arsenal has been well documented – the Brazilian is arguably the best in Europe when it comes to scoring from this situation.

Gabriel – who wants Rodrygo Goes at Arsenal – has impressively scored 14 headers since arriving from Lille back in September 2020, with fans sometimes even cheering the award of a corner as if they’ve just been given a penalty.

Therefore, if Arsenal end up receiving more corners thanks to this new rule next season, the South American powerhouse could become even more prolific in front of goal.