By Sir Hardly Anyone
The story from everywhere is of financial and legal chaos. Crooks buying their way into English clubs in order to use them for money laundering (a story we first started to pick up on 10 years ago and now being reported once again).
Barcelona more than a billion euros in debt and a net wealth of minus 450 million euros and a payroll that costs 135% of their income.
Three clubs who can seemingly buy anyone and do anything they like including (in the case of Manchester City) take on the Premier League in court and slow down every process so much that, as with their battle against Uefa, they will eventually be able to argue that the case is out of time.
The European courts now considering the fact that a Spanish court has said that Uefa does not have the authority to stop clubs playing in the super league.
And just when we don’t need it, a continuance of the highly successful media and fan campaign to destabilise Arsenal, which has already seen off two of our three most successful managers (in terms of win percentage), one of who is our all time most successful manager (in terms of trophies).
It all looks a bit of a mess. But who, in Premier League terms is spending? I’ve not seen a comparative table so I thought I would build one.
In the left columns we have clubs who have spent more money than they have brought in through sales, with Manchester leading the way.
In the right columns we have the five clubs currently in profit after their dealings so far
| Club | Net spend | Club | Net profit |
| Manchester United | -£114m | Brighton | +£38m |
| Manchester City | -£69m | Aston Villa | +£23m |
| Leicester City | -£53m | Southampton | +£19m |
| Arsenal | -£52m | Tottenham Hots | +£5m |
| Crystal Palace | -£40m | West Ham | +£1m |
| Brentford | -£30m | ||
| Leeds United | -£25m | ||
| Newcastle United | -£22m | ||
| Norwich City | -£20m | ||
| Wolverhampton | -£12.2m | ||
| Watford | -£8.9m | ||
| Chelsea | -£4.5m | ||
| Burnley | -£4m | ||
| Liverpool | -£4m | ||
| Everton | -£1.7m |
So quite a spread of financial results so far. The window closes on 31 August so by my calculations that means 13 days to go. And of course as we know we have 131 players tipped to be coming to Arsenal (details are here and here) and we also have details of what actually happened to the 134 who were tipped to come to Arsenal last summer. See the rather logically headlined article What happened to the 134 players said to be coming to Arsenal last summer?
But the fact remains that Manchester City and Chelsea can outspend everyone else at the drop of a hat, and the Premier League is seemingly unwilling or unable to stop Manchester City from keeping the legal case against them relating to their spending going on and on forever.
There are however two things that worry me about Arsenal’s situation.
The first is the extent of the media campaign against the club, which seems to be stronger than ever before.
The second is the possibility that Mr Arteta has had another disciplinary blow-up with players – this time Aubameyang and Lacazette – and that he is putting his need to show his authority above everything else. No evidence of that, but I just wonder…
We can recall that Ozil was frozen out of Arsenal’s squad last season because of the need to have just 17 non-UK players in the team. Not that my opinion makes any odds but it seemed to me that it must have been possible to arrange a loan deal with someone at that point; having the player on the books but not playing looked bad from the outside and could not have been in Ozil’s best interests.
And I do think the best interests of players is important, because players watch how clubs treat their staff. The big blow up with Guendouzi is another issue that looks bad for Arsenal; an incredibly talented player who needed to be brought into line, but not a player who needed to be shunted out at once.
If we have similar disciplinary issues with Auba and Laca (and of course I don’t have any inside information on this) I fear it will be giving the club a really bad name among other players. And of course it does nothing for our chances of scoring a goal.
Especially as Eddie is out as well; the latest statement saying that he was injured in the friendly against Chelsea and is not expected to be back in training in approximately four weeks.
There is talk of Arsenal rushing through a deal for Martin Odegaard and playing him in the game at the weekend, along with playing Saka from the start with Smith Rowe taking up positions either side of Odegaard with Pepe then playing at centre forward.
It all seems a little far fetched, but maybe fetchedness is what we need at the moment.
The statistical enquiry of 2021 that the media totally ignored
How the media created an alternative story that Arsenal failed in 2020/21, when in fact Arsenal brought about a revolution
- Which PL clubs foul the most and which are fouled the most?
- Behold: The dirtiest teams in the PL last season; and the one that were fouled the most
- Making up statistics about Arsenal is ok… until someone bothers to check.
- New fouls and yellow card data suggest refs are reacting to club ploys.
- Arsenal keeper to be replaced by 8 year old who’s never played football
- 2020/21: The key data tables
I was a big Wenger fan. Undoubtedly the Invincibles was the best football team I ever saw. However Wenger long outstayed his welcome. Over the last few years the team declined and the poor culture that exists gradually built up. We had some extraordinary mistakes. How did anyone ever consider paying large cash for Mustafi? Santos was a disaster. Xhaka a very poor performer for years. Ozil was good for a year then declined. Sanchez declined terribly and there are many others.
Every Arsenal supporter knew the defense was very poor. Only Wenger failed to understand. If he did understand he never properly addressed it and the style of play certainly was not amended to reflect the poorer quality of the defensive team.
Then Emery. What a mess that became. The number of games where we played good football was very small. The fact that we may have won a reasonable number of games probably reflected the poorer opposition. The last several years, apart from the team going on to win it, the other teams didn’t seem to want to win at all. Last year we continually heard that we were the third best team. I don’t doubt the stats but no one can tell me we played well in but a tiny handful of games. Many other teams were just as average as we have been.
We have had nearly two years of Arteta. He fell out with Ozil (though so did Emery). He fell out with Guendouzi. He seems to have fallen out with Aubameyang and he fell out with Saliba (who does so well when he plays for other teams). Arteta seems to be incapable of managing and motivating people. The game at Brentford laid bare the fact that the team doesn’t play for him. He may have made a good number two but he is failing at Arsenal and will be gone well before Xmas. The number of games where we played well is probably less than Emery.
How many players have improved under Arteta? Martinelli? Now cuts a sad picture played out of position. Demotivated and a shadow of the potential we first saw. Aubameyang…clearly totally disinterested. Lacazette, well he is the perfect Duracell bunny who will try try try, but achieve little. Leno, becoming poorer. Not under any challenge because Arteta didn’t have the balls to name Martinez as the number 1 despite performing well above Leno. Bellerin, clearly wants to leave and is only going through the motions. Maitland Niles, lost and demotivated. Nketiah, was a live wire but now seems like he wants out. Reiss Nelson, all but disappeared. Kolasinac, so poor. Sokratis, seems to have fallen out with Arteta too. Disappeared. Willock, anonymous for Arsenal, a world beater for Newcastle. Party, stunning reputation, average for us. Gabriel, good reputation, started so well, then declined game by game. Torreira, again completely ostracized. Mari, started well, now bang average performances. Willian, great first game than rapidly downhill.
The winners, Tierney, Saka and ESR.Any others, no I don’t think so.
Whatever blinkered campaign you have against the media, you really can’t argue that the players or the team have improved. patently, they haven’t, and it nothing to do with a press campaign. Every Arsenal fan will tell you the same.
Arteta is the opposite of Brian Clough. Clough took bums like Kenny Burns and turned them into world beaters. Arteta takes good players and converts them to also rans.
He is the worst Arsenal manager in the 50 years I have been supporting the team and will, thank goodness, be gone within three months.
Then we will start again to find someone who doesn’t squander the money put before them. Eventually we have to get lucky. It certainly won’t be by design.
Xhaka a very poor performer for years
Not according to Football Observatory, who, in my view (and that of a few other people) know a thing or two about measuring player ability
“Over the last few years the team declined and the poor culture that exists gradually built up”.
“Few years” you say?
This is Wengers last 5 years:
2013/2014 4th + FA Cup
2014/2015 3rd + FA Cup + CS
2015/2016 2nd + CS
2016/2017 5th + FA Cup
2017/2018 6th + CS
That is 4 seasons of SUCCESS followed by one season of failure. A season of failure mind you that still included the consolation of the Community Shield, which even as poor as you may say that is is better than anything spurs have done for the last 13 years.
But okay I’ll give you one poor season. I’ll even concede maybe 2 given we fell from 2nd to 5th to 6th over those 2 seasons, but then we did win the FA Cup and in 16/17 and trophies is what it’s all about and not the mythical top 4 trophy, so even 2 years decline is a bit harsh, but hey, if you insist.
For any other club than the financially doped pair of City and Chelsea, and possibly the richest Club in the World, Manchester utd, those 5 years would be seen as glory years.
Only the sad, self entitled, ungrateful and misguided would think anything else and have the temerity to call them ‘Years of decline’.
Some come on Pep, when would you of ditched this disaster of a manger then ?
@ Andrew Banks,
You state : He seems to have fallen out with Aubameyang
I have no idea on what facts you can base your statement. Did he tie his laces the wrong way ? Make a statement ? Is he a pub buddy and he mentionned this last night around a pint ? Or maybe you are his contract adviser ?
As far as I know Guardialo seems to have fallen out with Messi – we have proof as Messi signed with PSG…
What you are stating as facts are opinions, yours, and you are entitled to them, no question about it.
I guess your best bet is to send your CV to the Arsenal owner and get a lobbying campaign started to get you Mr Arteta’s position. You definitely have insights that are precious and advanced.
As for Xhaka….funny to think so many football clubs and other organisations in football pay a fortune to get stats. Guess they ought to send you a few checks because apparently your stats are so much more precise and real.
As for decline…well, 4 FA Cups in 7 years sure as hell is one steep decline. Everybody knows the FA Cup is not worth the paper it is written on and who the hell cares. There are maybe 10 people watching the finals on TV and most teams line-up their reserves, is that not so ?
Could you be a supporter and not a whining spectator by any chance ?
Just to add
Man Utd over those same 5 years:
7th CS
4th
5th FAC
6th EL LC CS
2nd
That equates to an average league finish of 5th (all but) plus 3 trophies and 2 community shields
Arsenal over those 5 seasons had an average league finish of 4th, and won 3 trophies plus 3 Community Shields.
Man Utd are the Worlds richest Club.
The only clubs to exceed Wenger over those 5 seasons were Chelsea and Man City, the 2 highest spending (as well as Man Utd) clubs British football has ever seen.
Yet all you chose to do is ridicule it as failure.
This is Brian Cloughs record when he started out in management.
Team………………..From……………..To………….Win %
Hartlepool Utd…..29 October 1965……….5 June 1967…..43.5
Derby County……..5 June 1967…………15 October 1973..48.5
Brighton & H A……1 November 1973……..20 July 1974…..35.3
This is Artetas performance in his very first management job in what is regarded as the toughest League in the World, up against the richest Club in the World and 2 of the biggest spending clubs in the World.
Played 86, Wins 45, Win % 52.33%, 1 FA Cup
I’m not saying Arteta is Brian Clough. I’m not saying he is perfect by any means, but your assessment of him is a woefully inaccurate interpretation of the facts.
As I have shown, in Cloughs early days his win % didn’t match Artetas.
Arteta just went through the last 2/3rds of the season as the second best team in the Country, following a remarkable tactical change. Okay we didn’t play brilliant against Brentford but we were, as has been pointed out, without our 2 main strikers, but even so we still managed most shots in a match over the weekend.
It comes to something when it’s my Spurs friend at work that has to put it in perspective. He said “I’d rather of played City at home than Brentford away on the first game of the season. You were on a hiding to nothing”.
Reading your endless whinging is so sad, unfortunately you don’t show any signs of stopping.
Denilson had great stats , but like Xhaka slowed the pace of the game . At the time I had great hopes for Denilson and Fabregas but it wasn’t to be .
As we well know stats will show you what you are looking for . I would not say that Xhaka is a disaster but I will say that he needs improving on .
For what ever reasons we have spent large sums on players that have never lived up to their billing .None of them are bad players , on their stats they are good enough , but on the pitch they have proved not to be .
Under Wenger for a long time we were blessed players Like Bergkamp , Henry , Anelka , Pires , Ljungberg and even Parlour among others were intrinsic to our play . As supporters we were spoiled and that is why so many find it hard to see us where we are today and lash out at everything that stops us being where they got used to seeing us .
Arsenal will rise again but it will take a few years . We are in a mess and it will take time but that’s nothing new . It’s the way that it has always been throughout my 65 years on the terraces.
Nitram
Interesting article
https://www.football.london/chelsea-fc/news/chelsea-jurgen-klopp-transfer-comparison-21335310
I just don’t get it. or maybe I do….
For years there was only one subject on the table : the ‘assumed’ refusal by the owners to invest in Arsenal. It was always whinning and crying about how much other clubs could spend and not Arsenal.
At some point, money started coming in and we won 4 FA cups in 7 years.
Now, looking at numbers one has to say the owners HAVE invested heavily. They have spent more these past years even as the pandemic has taken it’s toll.
But in the end, this being Arsenal with the most destructive and hypocritical (so-called) fan base, the only thing that comes out is more whinning, disrespect and sometimes even hatred. And always the same argument : I see what I see and facts will not change what I see. As if they were flatearthers.
So pathetic. Why do they inflict themselves this constant pain instead of looking for something they can really enjoy ? Arsenal definitely is not that enjoyable to them.
Chelsea have also spent a further (net) £66m – purchase of Lukaku (£100m) less the sale of Abraham (£34m) and would take them into second place!
David
So far in this window, if you include Abraham, Chelsea have sold 10 players
Abraham £34 million
Tomori £24 million
Guehi £18 million
Bate £1.5 million
Giroud £1 million
Wigget £1.5 million
Elemby £1.8 million
Simeil £1.5 million
Moses £4.5 million
Livaramento £5.3 million
Total £92.5million in sales against a £97.5 million in purchases
What gets really beneficial when it comes to the account is that bar Giroud and Moses all the players came from the academy so every £ of their fees is profit. Of the other two neither Giroud or Moses had very much amortised value so most of their fees will likewise show up as a profit.
In respect of Lukaku his fee will result in around £20 million a year being set against the accounts.
With FFP still in play albeit a watered down version for a coulole of years clubs will need to be mindful of any increases in amortisation that can’t be matched by sales . That’s in realty how City will get away with their massive spend.
In away it’s as much why Arsenal need to sell so because as things stand the increase they are seeing in their amortisation needs to be monitored against profit from sales .
White, Tavares and Lokonga using Tony’s figures will see an increase in Amortisation of around £16 million with Willocks sale covering that and allowing around another £6 million increase in amortisation which is would cover a £30 million purchase on a 5 year deal
Mike T
Compared to Man City’s spending everyone pales.
But despite Chelseas relatively lower spending, and it is relative, lets not pretend Chelsea are paupers, it is still enormous, and it is still on the back of financial doping of recent years.
But it’s not even the enormous spend that is the biggest advantage that Chelsea and Manchester City have, it’s the fact they are not working to a budget. They NEVER have to count the penny’s. If it goes wrong so be it, you move on. It happened with Torres. You paid whatever it took to get him. Although not the complete disaster some made it out to be it cannot be said he justified the price paid. But did Chelsea care ? Did it have any impact whatsoever on Chelseas finances? Not a jot. They just put him on the bench.
At the time certain factions, including those affiliated to Arsenal, including many fans, said we should of been in for him. If we had ‘pushed the boat out’ so to speak, and put all our very fragile eggs in that one basket, and he had performed as he did at Chelsea, it would of been a disaster for us.
Another thing with the ‘no budget’ model yourselves and Man city run is you can keep your senior players that bit longer. We would of loved to run down the contracts of certain players, but we just couldn’t do it. We had to cash in and sell them, perhaps one, maybe two seasons before we wanted, but we had books to balance, something Chelsea didn’t and still don’t have to do.
And that freedom to do what you like, when you like, in the transfer market, is huge.
So okay Chelseas dealings may now be slightly more imbedded in reality, but honestly please lets not pretend Chelseas financial situation is anything like anyone else in the premiership, apart from Man City, who just happen to be ‘doped’ to an even greater extent than you.
And yes I know we are spending bigger currently (despite certain fan factions whinging to the contrary), but again lets not kid ourselves here, we are walking a tightrope. If we mess this period up we could end up in big trouble financially. We are taking big risks, which no matter what, Chelsea NEVER are.
And that is a massive massive advantage.