Arsenal currently sit top of the Premier League, two points ahead of second-placed Manchester City and eight ahead of Manchester United in third.
However, a recent report from The Times has revealed that the Gunners have the lowest wage bill when compared to the rest of the so-called English 'big six'. The report, which has compiled figures from club accounts over the course of the 2021/22 campaign, show that Arsenal spent £206 million on players' wages over the season, almost half the figure of the highest wage bill, which belonged to United (£384 million).
Elsewhere, Liverpool and Manchester City paid £366 million and £354 million respectively, with Tottenham Hotspur shelling out slightly more than their north London rivals (£209 million.) Chelsea, meanwhile, spent £333 million during the 2020/21 season, with their figures for the 21/22 campaign yet to be released.
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Since Mikel Arteta took over as Arsenal manager, he has been keen to offload ageing players on inflated wages, allowing the likes of Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to leave in order to reduce the club's wage bill. Speaking about this plan, Gunners technical director Edu said last year: "When a player’s 26 or older, has a big salary and is not performing, he’s killing you.
“In the past, 80 per cent of the squad had those characteristics and there was no chance anyone would buy them.” He added: "They don’t have a transfer value and are comfortable on a long contract living in London.
"So we needed to clean the squad and if we had to pay some to go, I considered it an investment. It’s better than having them blocking the path of another player.
"It’s not a problem if a player has a big salary and performs. I know it’s strange to go to the board and tell them, ‘Sometimes it’s better to pay a player to leave than to keep them’. I realise that hurts and some people say that it’s expensive — but you have to take the problem out.”
Premier League 'Big Six' wage bill during 2021/22 season
Manchester United - £384 million
Liverpool - £366 million
Manchester City - £354 million
Chelsea - £333 million* (figures from 2020/21 season)
Tottenham - £209 million
Arsenal - £206 million
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