Mikel Arteta press conference reveals significant info on Arsenal finances.
There is always a lot of speculation about Arsenal finances. I am sure everyone will remember what it was like last summer with rumours of just £40 Million to spend and then the club goes out and spends over £100 million.
That created scepticism whenever there were reports of little money available for transfers and rightfully so, the media are notorious for putting two and two together and coming up with five.
Well, fast forward to today and while it is not an official club statement it is still far more credible when it comes out of the mouth of Mikel Arteta.
When the Spaniard was asked if he was he’s happy with the club’s business this window, he responded per the clubs official website
“I am happy for two reasons. We believed that we couldn’t strengthen the team a little bit in some areas with the financial situation that we have, but as well, four weeks ago I was very concerned with some of the departures and we’ve been able to manage that so far”
That seems fairly concrete to me, “We believed that we couldn’t strengthen the team a little bit in some areas with the financial situation that we have”
That is as close as you are going to get to an admission that the club is basically broke in terms of transfer funds. I am not sure if Arteta could have made it any clearer.
You have to hope that the situation improves in time for the summer transfer window.
Hopefully a lot of departures in the summer will generate funds. Champions League football would help a lot as well, although that is an extreme long shot.
So basically even if a top quality player who wanted to join Arsenal was available we are not in a position to buy him.That in itself does not bother me because the summer window should continue to be the prime period for implementing re figment plans.I hope Mari and Soares do well during their time at the Emirates which in the case of Soares might span a few months only.He seems a dedicated professional but I certainly do not see him as a longer term investment.
For me that statement is a big worry,how has this owner and board let this situation happen,I have to say I am absolutely disgusted that they have allowed this to happen,I want to see the back of Kroenke and his crones even more than ever,even if we offload some players in the summer,does not make it right,we should be one of the richest clubs in the world and should be able to have the pick of any player Mikel wants,not having to scrap for loan players who nobody else wants,thats what happened when Emery came what the Fk is going on.
The previous regime is solely responsible for the financial mess we are in today… mismanagement of funds (post 2013 when we were in the Champions League).. giving huge salaries to average players (reduced our chance to move them on), extending contracts of perennially injured payers..
What you say is entirely true.
👍 👍
Reducing the wage bill in the summer through player sales is critical..
Arsenal have to clean up their own mess
One way of looking at it (living in hope here) is that the lack of funds related to this transfer window only, with more being available in the summer.
ThirdManJW is right about summer departures. Please God that those players we’d rather see the back of get sold then.
It just shows how important the CL is to our finances.
We all have a financial ‘situation’ – some of us have a better one than others.
Arsenal clearly have less money than City….but referring to ‘our situation’ is not the same as saying ‘we have no money’. Your inference is ridiculous!
Arsenal’s situation is that we can’t spend like Man City……but we bought some players in, which is great…..I’m far more concerned by his implication that we might have lost players, which thankfully we haven’t done (yet) – if auba leaves, we are a different proposition…..
Sheesh, another one using the word ridiculous. Give me strength. I do notice that almost everyone else that commented read his comments exactly as I did but the inference is ridiculous.
Martin, do you roll your eyes at the same time as saying “give me strength”?? I have to say it does make me chuckle!
Nope, I swear but am not allowed to express my true feelings on here or I would have no option to ban myself.
😂
Shedzy, the financial situation is that we are currently skint, End of.
I have absolutely no idea why you aimed your remarks at me
Arteta from reading the article referred to ‘our financial situation’ not me. Perhaps you should re read it
I concur SueP
Instalments means we didn’t really spend as much as reported and the 40 M figure is close to the truth.
The rest will be paid in instalments.
I still don’t get it how so many were blind to this last year. That they thought paying instalments in the next 4, 5 years would not decrease our future budget. How are those folks not bankrupt??
Only CL qualification can save us.
Europa should be given priority even if fans at league games moan about 2nd team playing and losing…
10 points behind Chelsea is too much for 14 games considering we draw so many matches.
Totally agree, Diogenes; my accounting comes out similar to yours. I question Admin Martin too as to where he comes up with his £100 million figure?
Tommogun58, this has been going on for years at our club, not just when UE arrived.
We have never competed with the “big boys” since the end of the second world war, regarding transfer money, even when we were known as the bank of england.
There have been many of us on here, who have repeatedly asked where 20 years of CL money has gone, when considering that, reportedly, spuds made £100,000,000 from their involvement last season.
If there is a positive to take from this, then the fact that MA has publically talked about it (smething that NO other manager/coach ever has) and has let the fans know what the situation is.
To me, that signals that he will not take any BS from raul upwards in his vision for the club and, also, he is content that he has managed to keep the players he already has.
Your post made me look up on Google about Spurs’ involvement in Champions League The Metro last June 2019 estimated that they made upwards of £109m (this is prize money plus match day revenue etc) so you may well wonder what happened to all those years for Arsenal. OK, we only made the final once and frequently didn’t get too far in the tournament but the revenue would still have been eye watering. EL revenue is piddling by comparison.
I agree very much with your post. Arteta is aware of the financial constraints of the club and seems to be happy working within them. I hope that he will be adequately supported in the summer though, but MA is clearly a man who believes in himself and this is at the present rubbing off on the team
We have no money. It was spent in the summer, we will only buy in the next window if we sell players. Plain and simple.
I feel ☹️
Sue p, i feel sad too but i hope its a situation that a bit of youth and a few astute deals and that situation will be turned around.
Ken, I believe Unai Emery also made comments in a press conference regarding the financial limits he worked under; however I stand to be corrected.
No sir, we bought Pepe, Saliba and Tierny in payement plan deals. We spent a total of 50M for them, but a total lost at mid-season today.
Zaha was cheaper than Pepe, our first target but straight payement required!
Just look at deloitte money league our revenue has either stagnated or declined while the big 6 apart from man u have increased theirs. We are last in big 6.Our commercial revenue is LOWER than chelsea and spurs. I find that revolting.
We were already closer to last place in big 6 before we dropped out of champions league so we were already in trouble and no top 4 knocked us to last place.
Remind me again why The Arsenal left Highbury and built the Emirates?
Why should anyone concern themselves with how Arsenal spent its funds unless they are auditors? I am sure the fans should be concerned with the players we are intending to buy but not how we shall generate the funds. We should remain fans and not financial managers. It is very erroneous to look at income without examining expenditure. Besides three years without Champions League must have had a financial toll on the Club. Nobody should pretend that we were not affected! When one quotes Spurs’ increased revenue as a result of CL conversely one should be concerned how much Arsenal has missed out because of not being in CL. Perhaps this will help make the situation clearer.
It’s clear to me
We are up sh*t creek without a paddle unless we make it back into the CL
20 years of PL may have made the money men complacent
That is a luxury we can no longer afford
Bet the Kroenke syndicate will still draw their bonuses at the end of the financial year via the usual tax evasion methods.
The team has good players. The major challenge is motivation and it appears Arteta is man enough for that
Concerning the formation of the squad for next year and sale of players to get funds to acquire better players:Actual team:Keepers (2)Leno + Martinez
Back four (8) Bellerin,Saliba,Mari,Tierney + Soarez,Sokratis,Luis,Kolasinac
Defensive midfielders (4) Torreira,Xhaka + Guendozi,Niles Attacking midfielders (3) Ozil + Willock,Saka
Strikers (6) Pepe,Lacasette,Auba + Nelson,Nketia,Martinelli
This is a traditional formacion 1-4-2-1-3 Total of 23 players(probably the minimum required .
Players left out that could be for sale or loan (3) Chambers,Holding,Mustafi(they can be changed for any one mencioned above)
Now anyone can speculate who can be sold without damaging the structure of the team thinking that we may need to improve it with 2 players with a total valuations of approximately 60 to 80 millions.Can we get that sort of money selling our deadwood?
I’m okay with this transfer window. I would rather make key purchases in the summer.
My 3 top targets in the summer will be
Upamencano/Matvienko – one of if not both of these would be an amazing addition and paired with Salilba will form a partnership for the next decade.
Soumare – we need a dominant box-to-box/dm and he is perfect for this role
Szoboszlai – young attacking midfield powerhouse who is about to explode. Lets get him in early.
I hope we get another couple young cheap south americans like Yan Couto as well.
Auba will leave in the summer, he wants Ozil wages and we wont give them to him – $50m
I’d still sell Xhaka to fund a young athletic box to box/dm – $30m
We also need to get games into Martinelli and Saka to continue their development.
Leno
Bellerin Upamencano Salilba Tierney
Torreira Soumare
Pepe Szoboszlai Saka
Martinelli
Martinelli maybe to the wing for Pepe and Laca CF.
This team is young but very hungry and determined.