‘Are we in trouble?’ – Arsenal in danger of breaching financial rules after Eberechi Eze reveal
Arsenal are concerned about receiving a fine from UEFA similar to the ones that Chelsea and Aston Villa received last season.
That is according to football finance expert Dr Dan Plumley, who told Football Insider exclusively that although the Gunners are striving to win the Premier League title, they would still have to be cautious with their spending moving forward.
Arsenal spent lavishly on the likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Zubimendi, and Noni Madueke in the summer.
The Gunners were fresh off the back of a third successive second-placed finish in the Premier League last term and were looking to get over that hump.
And when the opportunity arose to beat their rivals to his signature, Arsenal signed Eberechi Eze, but one senior member in the boardroom was hesitant to do the deal.
Arsenal will be ‘looked at’ by UEFA
Richard Garlick has been promoted to CEO at the Emirates, following Tim Lewis’ exit from Arsenal, and the former director of football operations was cautious about signing Eze from Crystal Palace, due to the fee becoming a potential issue with UEFA’s squad cost rules in the future.
Aston Villa and Chelsea were hit with significant fines last term for their failure to remain compliant with the European governing bodies’ rules.
Speaking to Football Insider exclusively, Plumley explained that Garlick was right to be hesitant, as Arsenal are on UEFA’s radar.
“It’s a really interesting line.” The finance expert said when asked about the revelation in The Times that the CEO was unsure about the Eze transfer.
“It’s exactly the things that people are looking at in the boardrooms at the minute.
“We know Arsenal have been on the radar of UEFA before and they will be looked at. They’ve been on the radar of the Premier League for PSR, but they have been successful during that time.
“I know they’re striving for a Premier League title, that’s the objective.
“They’re in the Champions League, which will continue to help them with that, but they’ve still got to be careful of that squad cost, as has everybody.
“And that’s when you see lines like that, no club is immune from that, you’ve got to conform within that regulatory framework.
“One thing I would also add into that is. What’s already interesting in that space as well is we know that Villa and Chelsea have obviously been fined, so UEFA have laid a bit of a marker down.
“Other clubs will be looking at that then, and seeing where they are, and saying okay, right, if we’re here and they’re there and that was their fine, how close are we to those margins? Are we going to be in trouble?.
“Clubs will be doing due diligence, and for me, that’s absolutely the right thing to do. But it does stack up with what we thought about Arsenal being on the radar.”
Arsenal looking to tie up current stars despite financial concerns
Whilst there may be concerns about their finances in the future, that will not stop the Gunners from doing everything they can to keep their stars.
Bukayo Saka is closing in on a new contract that would place him in the top bracket for Premier League earners.
Meanwhile, David Raya could be the next Arsenal star to agree a new deal after a fantastic start to the season.