Arsenal news: Kieran Maguire ‘expects’ Gunners to spend big in the summer after ‘£41m’ boost
Arsenal may have shed around 20 per cent of their wage bill in January – and that could mean they are due to spend big in the summer.
That is the view of finance guru Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the six senior stars who left the Gunners last month.
Former skipper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who left on a free transfer to Barcelona with 18 months left on his contract, was the headline departure.
The Athletic reported on Tuesday (1 February) that the 32-year-old goalscorer’s exit could save Arsenal as much as £27million.
Calum Chambers, Sead Kolasinac and Del Iliev also departed the club on permanent deals, while Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Pablo Mari left on loan.
Arsenal had a wage bill of £204.7m in their last set of accounts, though that figure will have fluctuated since their release in April 2021.
Maguire suggests that the raft of January exits could save the Gunners as much as 20 per cent (£40.8m) of that figure.
“Their wage bill has plateaued in recent years,” he told Football Insider‘s Adam Williams.
“These cuts could potentially shave a total of 20 per cent off the wage bill. It will give them more room to manoeuvre in the summer.
“If we look at Arsenal’s wage bill, it’s £100m less than Chelsea, Man United, Man City and Liverpool. They have fallen significantly behind.
“They have also had their fingers burnt by offering the likes of Ozil an Aubameyang blockbuster contracts.
“So there is certainly some room for flexibility with this reduction. You would expect that to manifest itself in the transfer market.”
Arsenal will reportedly continue to pay a chunk of Aubameyang’s wages for the next six months.
The Gunners’ only signing of the mid-season window was 23-year-old centre-back Auston Trusty, who joined from Colorado.
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