Exclusive: Arsenal bag extra £9m+ on top of £55m after deals agreed

Arsenal have cut more than £9million from their annual wage bill after several high-profile figures moved on over the summer, sources have told Football Insider.

Fringe players Cedric Soares, Mohamed Elneny and Arthur Okonkwo all left the club following the expiration of their contracts on 30 June. 

Academy graduates Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah were sold to Fulham and Crystal Palace, with those deals raking in more than £55million of pure profit. 

Elsewhere, Aaron Ramsdale signed for Southampton in a deal worth an initial £18million and a further £7million in add-ons. 

Fabio Vieira, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Nuno Tavares, Reiss Nelson and Karl Hein also left north London after completing loan moves before the transfer window slammed shut. 

Ramsdale is understood to have been the highest earner of those players after raking in £120,000 a week before his departure, while Nketiah and Nelson’s deals were both worth £100,000 weekly.

Arsenal sales have helped cut annual wage bill

Soares earned around £75,000 per week at Arsenal, but the experienced defender has yet to find a new club since leaving the Emirates. 

Elneny is believed to have netted £55,000 a week before his eight-year spell in north London came to an end, with the midfielder signing for Abu Dhabi-based Al Jazira over the summer. 

Lokonga, Vieira, Smith Rowe and Tavares all raked in between £30,000-£50,000 per week, while Hein and Okonkwo’s deals were both worth less than £10,000 a week.

Sources have told Football Insider Arsenal have saved around £32.6million in wages following the departures of those 11 players during the summer window. 

But Mikel Arteta also strengthened his side with five new signings after spending more than £90million on the permanent additions of Riccardo Calafiori, Mikel Merino and David Raya, while Neto and Raheem Sterling joined on loan.

Although Sterling’s Chelsea deal is worth £325,000 a week, finance expert Stefan Borson told Football Insider Arsenal are only paying around £100,000 of his weekly salary. 

Calafiori will earn £120,000 a week following his move from Bologna, with Merino raking in £90,000, Raya netting £85,000 and Neto on around £50,000 per week.

Sources have told Football Insider Arsenal’s new additions will add £23.1million to their wage bill, meaning they have cut around £9.5million in wages from their annual salary expenditure.

The north London club have had a reasonable start to the new Premier League season after claiming seven points from their opening three games. 

In other news, Arsenal make Jorginho transfer decision.

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