Arsenal have received a slight boost to their finances after finishing top of their Europa League group, however the bigger picture underlines their need to return to the Champions League. It comes after a tense game against FC Zurich decided their fate, having to match or better the result of PSV Eindhoven to remain first.
Kieran Tierney opened the scoring with a half-volley at the edge of the box, however the Gunners weren't able to extend that lead throughout. It led to a difficult final few moments, but they saw out the game to top the group, booking a place in the round of 16 and avoiding an extra match against a side dropping from the Champions League.
"We had some big chances that we didn’t put away and that made the game more difficult in the last 15 or 20 minutes," Mikel Arteta said in reflection of the match. "We didn’t control certain situations and we had to dig in, which we did. We found a way to win and we’re top of the group."
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The table-topping gives them an advantage in terms of their progression in the competition, but it will also give them a financial boost off of it. According to football finance expert Swiss Ramble, the Gunners are set to profit roughly £3.1million from being in their group with £550k for each win and £956k for finishing first.
That amounts to Arsenal earning roughly £6.8million in revenue from the competition, which is extra revenue compared to their previous campaign without Europe and could help fund an extra transfer in January. However, that is sizably dwarfed by that of the earnings for the Champions League.
Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City are estimated to have made upwards of £70million from the competition already, with Tottenham making roughly £55million. It would mean the Gunners are losing out on anything between £63million and £48million in revenue just from the group stages.
It represents a financial blackhole that must be filled by Stan Kroenke for the side to be competitive, something he has already looked to do with heavy investment already. Given the competitive gulf, Arsenal must therefore view returning to the Champions League as a priority, no matter how much Premier League title talk may be the current hot topic.
It could take the side to the next level in terms of financially competing as well as attracting a different calibre of player. On the other hand, staying in the Europa League for too many more seasons could see them stuck in a limbo-like state and struggling to compete at the top.
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