Premier League: Goalkeepers under scrutiny as new rules set to take effect

Premier League goalkeepers will now have strict rules against time-wasting. How will this shape things up in the new season? (Photo credit: ...

Premier League goalkeepers will now have strict rules against time-wasting. How will this shape things up in the new season? (Photo credit: BBC)

The Premier League has released new rules that will govern the incoming season, including rules to curb time-wasting by goalkeepers and managers.

Memories of Eddie Howe asking Aaron Ramsdale to go down as the Newcastle manager tweaks the formation and passes information to Lewis Hall and Sandro Tonali on the sidelines come to mind, with many also looking at Arsenal in that regard.

Days of goalkeepers going down to eat up time while protecting leads may be over with strict rules set to be implemented from the start of the season. In the latest development, an outfield player will go out if a goalkeeper goes down unprovoked and needs treatment.

The manager will nominate an outfield player to leave the pitch for one minute from the moment the game restarts, and the player won't return until after one minute. This is certain to deter teams from employing delay tactics in games.

To balance things out, the rule will not apply to obvious fouls on the goalkeeper or to collisions when the goalkeeper is bleeding. All football clubs in the league have been inundated with the new rules, and ignorance won't be an excuse.

Also, the five-second countdown rule will apply on delayed restarts, and ten seconds will also apply to substitutions. Apart from players seeking the nearest exits, they will also be penalized if they take longer than ten seconds to leave the pitch after being substituted.