Firstly, we know Mohamed Elneny is not Swiss, but he was bought from a Swiss club, and that allows us to segue beautifully into another wonderful deconstruction of the Arsenal finances from the brilliant Swiss Ramble.
Arsenal released financial results for the 6 months ending November 30th last week, and it showed that things are very healthy with significant cash reserves.
Some key points from the Swiss Ramble analysis, which you can read here, are below:
- The current cash balance of £159m should increase to £225-250m by the time the annual accounts are presented in May.
- Arsenal have more cash than any other club in world football.
- At the end of the 2013/14 season, they actually held 40% of the entire Premier League cash balances.
- Not all of the cash balance represents a transfer fund.
- However … we can say with some conviction that Arsenal should have around £100 million to spend in the summer on improving the squad.
- Arsenal have been spending more in the transfer market in the past few seasons … they have the third highest net spend in the Premier League over the past three seasons.
- Arsenal have the seventh highest revenue in the world, based on 2014/15 annual accounts, having overtaken Chelsea last season … but still lie some £100m behind Real Madrid and Barcelona.
- Arsenal are left behind on commercial revenue, but this is being addressed.
- Arsenal enjoy the highest match day income in the world.
- Arsenal’s debt has come down significantly from the £411 million peak in 2008, it is still a heavy burden, requiring an annual payment of around £19 million, covering interest and repayment of the principal.
All in all, fascinating reading, please read the full thing here and follow @SwissRamble on Twitter for the best football related financial analysis you’ll find anywhere.
Excellent stuff as ever, worth a read of the original if you have 15 minutes.
We have lots of cash but no profits, so have a problem on FFP rules buying more players, as we have to cover their salaries and depreciation.
And by thunder they’re depreciating
Just splurted my morning coffee out. Thanks.
That was good.
Oh my word that was good.
Your statement reminded me of long john Silva.
“However … we can say with some conviction that Arsenal should have around £100 million to spend in the summer on improving the squad.”
£160 millions. Let’s add Özil’s £50 M transfert to a more satisfying place.
Why is he going somewhere?
Why the fuck would we sell our best player?
Isn’t that we usually do?
Why on earth would he want to stay to watch us choke, year after year
He could stand up and be a more aggressive leader and change that mentality.. or run away which is exactly the kind of peeps we dont want.
The better scenario is that 100m be put to adding the quality necessary to convince Ozil there is a better future.
Agree. But which seems more likely?
Oh I know. But perhaps a little conversation between two of the clubs biggest purchases and the management / ownership can give a nudge.
One can dream. It’s a far cry better than current reality.
At one point Ozil said he’d love to be in contention for the Ballon. If he’s to be the first human to do so based on assists (is this possible in the Ronny V Lionel era?) he’s going to need a lot more finishing than what we’ve got. He’s doing his half of that deal.
I don’t think 100m is near enough to address issues that can be rectified in the near future, especially if we take into consideration teams like Chelsea, United, City, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich etc who will probably be after the same level of players. Besides spending in both midfield and further up the pitch, we also need to make sure we present players with attractive wage packages to attract them, because our recent success is certainly not something that will make players choose us over others…
Then again, this also depends on who we offload this summer. Which I’m hoping will be most of the old guard and/or injury prone players; Rosicky, Arteta, Flamini etc.
Theo?
Are we there yet?
Nowhere near…….
Ramsey, Walcott, Debuchy (he’s on loan), Yaya Sanogo, and I would seriously consider the options of Mertesacker, the Ox and Wilshere. Szczęsny can stay at Roma as well, preferably sold.
I know this sounds brutal and it goes against everything Arsenal, but we are either practical i.e. get rid of all the dead wood and injury prone players, or we are romantics, we can’t be both.
We should be looking for young CB for Per but to replace him completely I think is a bit harsh. Wilshere and Ox need time to heal and regular playing time to improve their game. Completely disagree with Ramsey.
Theo, I am on the fence but wouldn’t be sad to see him go if a great offer came in for him and he wanted to go.
No one should be on the fence about Theo.
Anyone can see that any paid winger with quarter the talent oughta contribute more than Walcott has given us.
Sanogo costs us close to nothing, he’s a twig off a deadwood float, whatever. Debuchy is obviously on his way out already. Ramsey is a key player to this team and a perfectly good one, one of the brighter and consistent spots of our season, makes no sense to sell him. Mertesacker is likely to be club captain after Arteta retires, and he’s a perfectly good player and a great captain. Wilshere deserves a real chance, but maybe for one or two seasons more at most. Szczizzlekicks can do whatever he wants, prospect looks really bleak for him unless we… Read more »
If Ramsey is the “brighter and more consistent” as you’re saying then that there lies the problem.
1
He is consistent at being average, and that I am afraid is what the club has reluctantly allowed itself to be. Not top, not bottom but where it can with every passing year flatter to deceive, ( f.a cup)
Hmmh flatter to deceive – another perfect way to describe Ramsey and most players at this club.
It’s all well and good selling all of these players but we DON’T BY ANY NEW ONES!
So pissed off right now…..
*buy – fuck it going to bed!
Ramsey is a good player. Come on. Who would we play instead of him? Sure good vs the world class wonder season seems bad; but it’s still good! He does the midfield job alright. He runs a lot, holds the ball, distributes, tackles, passes. He’s good. So is Wilshere. I mean come on, didn’t he get back-to-back goals of the season? He’s got outrageous talent; he just needs to stop getting injured; but I promise you. When he’s back he’ll be a great boost to our squad! Walcott on the other hand is absolutely atrocious! Arteta passed his best, Rosicky… Read more »
We are freeing up a lot of salary there with those 3 players. Plus will have the extra TV money. So we will be able to spend the cash and stay in the FFP rules.
Given that, it will be criminal if they don’t spend this summer.
Yes but you have to also take into consideration that other big teams will be looking to offload some of their players also. We aren’t the only ones who will reshuffle, but we ARE the only ones who need a major reshuffle, so will need to be spending more than everyone else.
£100m should do if wages are not factored in. A stiker in the region of 40m, a winger at the 25m range, a CB for 15 and a dm in the region of 20m will set this team nicely. The major question for is: would I want Arsene to do the buying? The answer is a resounding NO! I have lost confidence in this man’s abilitu to build a title winning squad. His (in)activity in the summer is why we are staring down an embarrassing 3rd or 4th place behind Leceister and Spurs! A new manager should come in –… Read more »
Agree. Especially when you consider a number of players are going to need replacing anyway. Flamini, Arteta, Rosicky and Ospina will almost certainly leave for little recompense. There may well be other possible out-going; Campbell, (please God) Walcott. I have a feeling that a number of the players on loan will be bumped up (Sanogo, Gnabry, Zalalem, Akpom. All of whom are yet to convince at the highest level. It’s not going to be pretty.
i hope this is the last season walcott plays in an arsenal shirt – how he’s getting £130k a week is beyond a joke, especially at a club like Arsenal – only thing he’s added to his game in the past decade is a shit looking beard.
I’m wondering if Ozil is thinking “this guy’s making as much as me?!” while he’s gesticulating disgustedly out there.
Just that he’s getting paid is disgusting. How can he request a salary for his dismal appearances; he’s a liability on the field. A financial and physical liability.
To be fair, I don’t think his beard is that bad. Makes it look like he’s maturing. Unlike his footballing ability.
Very annoying knowing Arsenal has such large sum of cash yet they let it sit in bank accounts rather than investing in the squad. It is high time the club is treated as a footballing entity rather than a business entity
3 Suaresez in the bank is alright. Still, we need to get them in good use, otherwise they are worthless…
On a side note, but thanks for the 14 years, blogs. It’s been a shit weekend, but i’m glad i have a place to come to for venting and reading some top quality stuff. you were spot on with your blog this morning.
This… /\ /\ /\
Wish I could hit the green thumb more than once.
Absolutely mate. Been coming here since the start. For better or for worse.
We would need every penny of that £100m in cash if we need to get a credible midfield. Lets remove the deadwood asap and create a side that can give it their all in each and every game.
Unfortunately we’re in need of a revamp on the right wing, a striker, and possibly a back up RB as well depending on how Jenks recovers both fitness and form.
100m doesn’t seem like much in that light.
Imo at the very least we need a world class striker who will guarantee us 20-30 goals a season
a DM to compete with le coq who is good but needs competition and please someone with some fucking balls
to them who will kick the team up the arse when they need it
a CB because Kos and BFG are not getting any younger
maybe a really fast winger who can play left and right ?
but what they hell do I know
The question must also be do you give the 100 million to wenger to spend or to someone else.
This is a manager that insists on playing at totally out of sorts wallcott and manager that can’t seem to motivate his players even when a premier league title is up for grabs.
And when the world and his wife can clearly see we are lacking a world class striker and any sort of leader and have been for a number of years stubbornly refuses to buy either.
Excellent comment.
We are not talking about just buying more players but replacing players in the squad who either dont cut it at this level or is to unreliable and inconsistent with both form and/or injuries.
So when you add these players transfeer fees and freed up wages then that 100 mill is suddenly a 150mill.
I again think the problem isn’t the players, but the application of their strengths and weaknesses here. Ramsey is talented, but I do not think he should play in a midfield base that does not have someone else who can distribute the ball. When he stays back to collect the ball, his outlet passes have been bad, and at other times he has totally disappeared upfield leaving Coq/Flamini without options (they are not dribblers nor are they long passers). That lack of cohesion has slowed our build ups that the only good offensive showings we have had recently have again… Read more »
15 million saving looks like Iwobi he can replace one midfield role then ELeny who can play 2 roles holding or attacking role, Flaminni & Arteta will leave the squad but Arteta may stay on the coaching role, chambers can play the holding role and cover at the back over all balance is good, but i would like to see money spent on a quality top top top midfielder and would deffo improve the squad they are out there its wether Wenger who thinks hes spending his own money on transfers bring us into modern times
The owner is a cunt has only money interests in the club The board are a bunch of cunts so set in there ways living on past glories The manager is a cunt his philosophy, tactics and motivation are like a candle burning and its just about burnt itself out, they all think he is God havent seen any holes in his hands or feet but dont expect any changes real soon same old nearly every time always a few players short of a good squad, if we had the same feel good factor and comradeship that Leicester have in… Read more »
So how long has Wenger got left, I know they will never sack him but he can’t go on for ever.
I was thinking we’d win the title this year (I know) and he’d go out in a blaze of glory, but now that’s unlikely to happen, and he’s getting on a bit, I wonder how long he’ll go on for??
My concern is this: living in the US I’m very familiar with Kroenke and the way he runs his teams–it’s profits first, second, and third. He is certainly not a passionate fan of any club/team and the only results he measures success on come from his accountant. Having said that, he is very knowledgeable as far as running a club and I think he sees parallels between the EPL and MLB (professional baseball) in that there is no salary cap and little revenue sharing outside of TV contracts. Therefore, the revenue differences between teams are stark and those at the… Read more »
Mahrez for £50m, are you fucking joking?
45 mil on unsettled götze
sneaky 16mil on Falcao (3rd time lucky)
play götze right wing…sell Walcott to Liverpool..
win treble
Watching us against Barca and Utd is probably the most frustrated I have been for ages. Wenger was renowned for bringing players in cheap and turning them into superstars, I think he suppresses them now. Ox, bellerin, Sanchez were all exciting to watch, when Ox game on the scene no one could stop him, bellerin used to be more attacking than he is now, he goes forward and stops to make a backward pass!! Hardly ever tries to beat the last man. And Sanchez has become very predictable. We are really missing Cazola..Ramsey is having is chance but no taking… Read more »
Its not a players issue its a manger problem. Someone remarked that Wenger is turning Sanchez into Arshavin
Some bloke said this on Arsenal Fantv …and i totally agree. Spend some of that money on a world class shrink.
Omg..Good laugh at the comments… Wenger spending £100 m in the summer! Where have you lot been the last 10 years!??When has he ever come close to spending that cash!?? An Enemy type signing to placate fans and maybe a teenager or two. Even if he spent £150m, he isn’t the manager to lead this team to the title. I personally believe he’s lost the players and boards faith but they’ll stick with him for the guaranteed 4th place and champions league money. Beyond that they don’t give a fuck! A comment on another story really sticks with me ‘… Read more »
Its all Flamini’s fault that we lost the match to the weakest United team in years.
Oh and Per’s too. He lacks pace.
Rather have Gabriel who doesn’t risk us penalties at the edge of the box because he gets turned by an 18 year old or maybe play Elneny to Flamini because Elneny never passes backwards or concedes to needless yellow cards or gets disspossessed or out muscled.
For that matter Coquelin because when we play Rammini we have a dissconnect in midfield and cede too much space.
Clearly Flamini and Per are the main problem with the team.
Let me start off by saying (at the cost of repeating myself) that I never trusted Wenher after the 2013 season. On the point of buying a leader in the mould of Vierra or Komapany as posted above, well that will NEVER happen in Wenger’s reign. The simple reason is he will not buy anyone who can talk back to him or stand up to him, i.e show him his faults or argue with him. Its well known that Vierra/Adams et all were seriously furious characters in their own right which translated to their performances on the field but also… Read more »
*Wenger..apologies, not intentional.
All these facile calls for Elneny to replace Flamini when he is barely any better if not weaker. I could have done with some gesticulation and finger pointing against United because we were picking up no one (See Herrera’s goal) Elneny may turn out to be a good buy but anyone who thinks he is suddenly an upgrade to Flamini is simply delusional. The myth in their heads that Flamini is a poor player seems to permeate into the notion that just about anyone will be better than the Frenchman. Rammini ceded3 goals against Liverpool but also held firm to… Read more »
“All these facile calls for Elneny to replace Flamini when he is barely any better if not weaker”
How do you know so much about Elneny ? I am waiting for a Coq/Elneny partnership….
Give the lad a chance!
He doesn’t. All he has seen is the youtube highlights posted on this site.
The fact that he thinks flamini is a better player is just something else.
Elneny may not have adapted to the team, but in terms of ability, he is a superior player to Flamini. Anyone who has watched both will agree.
Walcott to go, as someone on this page said Everton would pay a lower fee but could afford the wages. Rosicky and Arteta to go but hopefully to start their coaching qualifications with us. I believe Arteta has already not sure. Flamini to leave and hopefully make the world a greener place. Wilshere to prove his fitness or sell him for good money to Man City or Utd. Chambo to go on loan but preferably not to a West Ham or Everton which can hurt us. A good right winger to offer competition for Campbell (done well for us. Signs… Read more »
Lots of people say the Ox should go on loan.
Won’t that just mean him getting injured earlier than usual?
Ha ha. Did you say Sanogo?
This is Arsenal FC. When did our expectations fall so low?
I said giroud sanogo and another striker providing Charlton is the catalyst for sanogo to push on.
Learn to read
And if spending some money is the problem, well, Leicester don’t have that issue then nor Spurs.
How much have they spent last summer?
Maybe Leicester have a coach who knows how to utilize his player’s strengths better??
Didn’t spuds spend 22m on Son who was needed and look how well they’ve done.
Raneiri wasn’t deluded enough to think his midfield didn’t need an upgrade because the good run of form at the end of the season unlike wenger who felt there was no striker better than giroud on the market and how Walcott, welbeck are “world class” strikers.
You have holes in your team, you try and fill it up. Spuds and Leicester did that, Wenger didn’t.
Ranieri became their manager in the middle of July.
I’m not sue he had much to do with their transfers (maybe he did with one or two of them?)?
Sorry I meant to say a Striker as competition for Giroud
I think, and it’s for the first time ever that I have thought this since the professor joined us, that he needs to retire for himself and the club. Thanks Arsene x
…actually he should retire for the fans, not the club unfortunately! I heard Bloggs on the excellent Arsecast say “but who will take over? It could end up shit like Fergie leaving Man U?
BUT, how shit can it be??
Maybe we won’t have half a chance in the Prem and bottle it?
Maybe we won’t qualify for the CL and get knocked out when the crap teams have left?
Nothing to lose, time for change IMHO for the first time ever!
It definitely is time for change. Even all the calls for Elneny to play or new strikers etc are really just a reflection of the fact that no-one is happy with how the team is playing and that probably goes back to when Cesc left or before. There have been too many glaring issues with all our teams for years that having some top performers has masked to a degree. I havn,t particularily enjoyed watching Aresnal play for a long time and our transfer windows are just an exercise in disappointment. I for one wish Ancelotti was still available
Smaug.
Some of you stress too much.
Sure it will suck to finish behind Spurs or Leicester, BUT we will finish above City, Manure and the Chelski. Surely, its not all doom and gloom. Every now and then, roughly 20 years or so, its expected a team from outside the big clubs may get on a run and cause an upset.
Can’t wait for tomorrow. Too much brooding right now. Need a good smashing of Swansea and if we don’t win… well fuck us really.
I can’t believe people still go on about spending money (Football Manager Fans?).
The two clubs above us, on paper have spent little money. It’s not about money but ambition, tactics and squad cohesion.
Also if Wenger’s target from board level is a cup run, top 4, and round 16 of CL then how can he be sacked? He meets that target every year. I’m not saying its right just how it is.
Agreed, don’t know why people are going on about buying this or that player, it is the way they set up, their movement, and tactics that are lacking. We don’t need to replace all our players (although Wenger should have been more ruthless with some, and should have bought this summer), we need a new manager.
I really hope we do spend in the summer. It’s strange that Arsene has spent a lot recently, but will he still have the ambition this summer?
Another reason why I really hope we rescue this season is if we do win the EPL, then it basically allows us to make one more big name purchase in the summer.
For our squad to really improve we need 3-4 players (maybe 5 depending on who leaves). And I think at least one, if not two players we buy have to Superstar level.