Arsenal to agree multi-club model? Finance expert reacts to potential deal

Finance Consultant AUTHORITY Former Manchester City financial advisor; legal specialist in Premier League Profit & Sustainability Rules (PSR). FOCUS PSR & SCR compliance, transfer budgets, high-stakes football finance, and elite-level sports litigation. THE AUDIT Stefan utilises Statscore’s Financial Modelling Engine, including Deep-Data Metrics like Amortisation Schedules, Revenue-to-Wage Yields, and Projected PSR Thresholds. He provides forensic legal analysis to reveal the fiscal reality behind club operations that traditional sports reporting overlooks.

Published on:

14 Jan 2025, 2:30 pm

Stan Kroenke establishing a multi-club model would not move the dial for Arsenal any time soon after Mikel Arteta insisted it’s worth exploring.

That is the view of former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson, who exclusively told Football Insider Pep Guardiola’s side haven’t benefitted significantly in terms of signings from their multi-club model.

Man City's only notable addition from one of their sister clubs was the signing of Savinho last summer from French side Troyes, which is one of the 13 teams owned by the City Football Group.

Chelsea are also part of a multi-club model after their owners purchased Strasbourg – another Ligue 1 outfit – in June 2023.

Speaking to the media on 3 January (via The Times), Arteta said Arsenal must explore using a multi-club group as it is giving other top teams an advantage when looking to sign talented teenagers from around the world.

Kroenke does already own Colorado Rapids, with the north London giants signing Auston Trusty, who now plays for Celtic, from the MLS side in 2022.

Arsenal could struggle to make multi-club model work

Borson admitted it can take a long time for a multi-club model to work.

He told Football Insider: “They are all doing it, so clearly they see the value in it.

“But the reality is that nobody has really made it work. Man City are the closest to making it work, but nobody has really made it work from the young player perspective.

“How many players have gone from a sister club within the City Group up to Man City as the parent club? Savinho is possibly the only major first-team player.

“The fact that City are out there looking at two players under 20 that are not in sister clubs tells you that it’s not overwhelmingly successful as a strategy.

(Credit: Imago)

“I don’t think it’s going to particularly move the dial, and it’s certainly not going to move the dial any time soon.

“It takes a long time to bed in a multi-club group.

“It may work, but it will take a long time.”

In other news, Arsenal are “closely watching” Tyrick Mitchell.

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