Drastic Premier League rule change 'being fought for' that could see four teams relegated

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One of the architects of the Premier League says he is still fighting to reduce its number to 18 clubs. When the revamped English top flight was launched in 1992, it contained 22 teams, dropping to 20 in 1995, when four went down and two came up for a season.

According to David Dein, Arsenal's vice-chairman at the time, that is still two too many. He wants to see another four-club relegation season, insisting it would ease fixture congestion and aid the fortunes of the England team.

Speaking on the High Performance podcast, the 82-year-old said he hadn't given up hope of the Premier League being cut to 18 clubs.

"When we formed the Premier League in 1992, it was mandated to be an 18-club league. I'm still fighting for that and I still haven't won that battle, but I'm not giving up," said Dein, who spearheaded the launch of the Premier League along with the owners of Manchester United , Liverpool , Tottenham and Everton .

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"There are too many games. France and Germany have gone down to 18 clubs in their Premier League. I'd like to see that in England as well."

Dein pointed out that an 18-team Premier League would mean greater financial rewards for the teams in it but doubted it would get passed in a vote. He said "another authority" would be needed to implement his vision, presumably in agreement with the FA and EFL, which would have to accommodate two extra clubs.

Currently, the EFL comprises 72 clubs with 24 in each division. Dein added: "When you consider the finances of it, you'd have 18 clubs sharing the television money instead of 20 clubs. Less is more sometimes.

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"And we want a proper mid-season break. I think it would benefit the England team and we should have gone down to 18 clubs at the beginning.

"If it went to a vote today, it wouldn't go through because turkeys don't vote for Christmas . So it has to come from another authority."

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Championship clubs recently voted to expand the Championship play-offs to six clubs from next season. Under the rules, the teams finishing third and fourth progress straight to the two-legged semi-finals, while those finishing fifth to eighth compete in one-off eliminators

The winners of the eliminator ties progress to the semi-finals to face third and fourth. The two semi-final winners will then meet in the final at Wembley with a place in the Premier League at stake.

Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.