Arteta WILL follow through on substituting keeper late for tactical reasons

Chris Sutton has praised Mikel Arteta for being 'forward thinking' and backed the Arsenal manager to follow through on his substituting his goalkeeper during a match.

Arteta dropped Aaron Ramsdale to the bench for Arsenal's weekend Premier League win over Everton and handed former Brentford shot-stopper David Raya his debut for the club.

The selection decision spurned plenty of debate over who is Arsenal's number one with the Gunners boss suggesting he will substitute goalkeepers in the future because he 'cannot have two players like this in one position and not play them'.

Ian Ladyman questioned the authenticity of Arteta's latest tactical claim with former Premier League winner and Mail Sport columnist Chris Sutton on Mail Sport's 'It's All Kicking Off' podcast, and believes the Arsenal boss was making a passing suggestion.

'There's nothing wrong with it if it is true but I think David Raya is in the team now in the Premier League,' said Ladyman.

However, Sutton believes Arteta may have identified a new tactical tweak that could be a success for Arsenal and focused on the 'small margins' that make a difference in the Premier League.

Sutton explained: 'I think it's a really interesting one and in the past I have been dismissive of long throw-in coaches for example, but it's all about details and small margins, it has been successful for teams like Brentford.

'Thomas Frank is a stickler for small margins and Brentford have been really successful.

'With this goalkeeping thing I don't know exactly where I stand but we all understand the competition element and need for players pushing each other so what is different for goalkeepers and why should it be different, its the same principle and what is Arteta doing wrong if he does