Although the coverage of Arsenal was far less widespread and detailed without the same level of social media or YouTube coverage of transfers, the exits of Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas was a dark time for the club. With the new stadium built and less money available, the club simply couldn’t compete with what others could offer their biggest stars in terms of both wages and the chance of trophies.
Fast-forward to 2023 and the club has evolved to a place where both of these things are very possible. Eight points clear at the top of the Premier League table and Bukayo Saka is reportedly due to receive a significant pay rise that, including bonuses, could see him earn close to £15million a year.
This puts him into the range of competitive salaries that cost Arsenal players like Alexis Sanchez to Manchester United. Arsenal have moved into this new phase and Saka isn’t alone with Gabriel Martinelli seeing a significant increase in addition to Gabriel Magalhães and Eddie Nketiah.
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Made possible by the incoming revenue from the Champions League plus a significant cutting of the top earners such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, Hector Bellerin, Sead Kolasinac and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in recent seasons.
Nicolas Pepe is expected to depart in the summer along with a number of other players who also contribute to some substantial weekly wages like Cedric Soares, Pablo Mari, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Ainsley Maitland-Niles. Sporting director Edu Gaspar has worked with manager Mikel Arteta to completely overhaul the squad in a short space of time.
Could this put Arsenal in a position to compete with some of the biggest paying clubs on the planet like Real Madrid, Manchester City and Manchester United? Potentially.
However, in the short term it is expected that players like Jude Bellingham will still remain somewhat out of reach and the club will instead continue its shrewd approach to recruitment. Although willing to spend big money unsuccessfully on the likes of Mykhailo Mudryk and Moises Caicedo, the Gunners have added quality at low prices as shown with the January additions of Leandro Trossard and Jorginho.
The hardest challenge for Arsenal is not necessarily even winning the league this season. What eclipses this is the goal of establishing the club as a side that will compete on the same plain as City and on the elite European level too for years to come.
Although sticking with the principles of a self-sustaining model, the club’s owners have shown a willingness to invest after the full takeover in 2018. This was not the case beforehand be it through choice or the decision-making of Arsene Wenger, but now there’s transparency regarding how the ownership sees the club as well as the will for it to succeed at the highest level.
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