All clubs of the Premier League have agreed to introduce permanent concussion substitutes from February 6. According to the new policy, if a player is diagnosed or suspected of sustaining a concussion, his team can permanently substitute him.

Each team will have two extra replacements for this scenario in addition to the three regular ones they are given in one game. If one side makes a concussion substitute, the opposition will be given an additional replacement.

The new rule will apply to the Premier League, Women's Super League, Women's Championship and FA Cup.

There have been a lot of discussions over concussion problems in the football world in recent years, triggered by news of retired players suffering from various problems caused by head injuries. Jack Charlton, Nobby Stiles and Sir Bobby Charlton – all world champion members of England in 1966 – died after dementia diagnosis.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB), which governs the laws of the game, approved concussion protocol on a trial basis last December.

"The trial is a result of the IFAB's consultation with stakeholders and recommendations from their concussion expert group to allow additional substitutions for players with actual or suspected concussion," said the FA and the Premier League in a joint statement.

Jan Vertonghen, former central defender for Tottenham Hotspur, battled concussion symptoms for nine months, he revealed in December 2020. Vertonghen clashed heads with teammate Toby Alderweireld in the UEFA Champions League semifinals first-leg game against Ajax in 2019. After he was injured, Hotspur's medical staff checked him for quite a while on the sideline before allowing him to go back into the game. However, Vertonghen soon requested to be substituted after realizing he could not continue.

"Many people don't know this, but (the head injury against Ajax) affected me for a really long time. I had dizziness and headaches. The other day, there was the story about David Luiz and (Raul) Jimenez, in which Jimenez suffered a fractured skull," Vertonghen told Belgian outlet Sporza. "With me, it was my nose and I continued to play, which I shouldn't have done, according to the doctors. In the end, I think I suffered from that head injury for about eight or nine months. That was the reason why I didn't play well."

"I had a year left on my contract and I thought I had to play because I had to showcase myself to other clubs and to Tottenham, but when I played, I was rubbish. I just couldn't produce a good performance. Not many people knew that. That was my own choice and not a criticism of anyone else. After five months, there was a day when I started to feel better. When I see the footage from that time, I know when I didn't feel well by looking at myself."