Finance guru: New document proves Arsenal to fork out extra £115m on signings this season
Arsenal are due to fork out £115million in transfer instalments within the current financial year – but that bill is unlikely to impact whether they enter the market in January.
That is the view of finance expert Doctor Dan Plumley, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the Gunners’ latest set of accounts.
Last Friday (2 December), Arsenal revealed a £45.5m loss for the year ending 31 May 2022, a season which saw them miss out on lucrative Champions League qualification for a sixth successive season.
Also contained within the books were details of £188million owed by the North Londoners in transfer instalments.
Arsenal’s key summer signings – Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Fabio Vieira – have helped Mikel Arteta’s side towards the foothills of a title challenge this season.
And a source told Football Insider last Sunday (4 December) that the manager has been entrusted with a £50m budget to further strengthen his garrison in January.
Plumley explains that £115m of the £188m owed by Arsenal is due this financial year, but that won’t necessarily prevent them from adding to the bill in January.
“Looking at what we can see, it appears that £115m of that £188m is due within a year, which is quite a high figure,” the Sheffield Hallam University expert told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“But when we look at the other side of the coin with current assets, they have got debtors worth £726m due within a year, which is the amount owed from the group undertakings.
“So, that would suggest that they can go to your current accounts, which is cash, debtors and stock, to cover that transaction.
“If you have not got it all in cash, which Arsenal don’t, they do have people that owe them money in the form of the group that owns the club.
“So, in that regard, if you put £726m against £115m, logic dictates that you are okay against that in the short term.
“That is the position I can see looking at the numbers in the accounts. I don’t think it will have too much bearing on future transfer budgets.”
In other news, Arsenal set sights on two January signings after Gabriel Jesus update.