Should Arteta be given more credit for slashing Arsenal’s wage bill?

Arteta


By Ollie Gafsen


When Mikel Arteta arrived there were fears the Spaniard was inheriting a mess beyond the means of any manager, let alone a 38-year-old without much previous experience.

The highest payroll in the league was nothing to celebrate as Arsenal languished mid-table, their £115 million in wages swallowed by poor signings and faded stars as they struggled to forge an identity in the wake of Arsene Wenger. 

Arteta's appointment was evidence of the hole Arsenal had dug, with Stan Kroenke unwilling to meet the demands of Carlo Ancelotti, but by last February the young manager had halved the wage bill, cleared the deadwood and won the FA Cup in the backdrop of a pandemic.


 

Splashing the Cash

The appointment of Unai Emery in 2018 was matched by an explosion of 50% in Arsenal’s payroll, the highest in the league and £5 million more than champions Man City.

It was the spending fans had been clamouring for after years of careful balance sheets under Wenger, but that season's fifth-place finish betrayed the truth behind the blowout.

All clubs are susceptible to flops, although Arsenal’s seemed especially egregious with Lucas Torreira, Matteo Guendouzi and William Saliba out on loan at a cost of almost £70 million. 

But contracts were the bigger problem, with Mesut Ozil’s £350,000 a week and Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s £200,000 a week particular sources of ire at a squad increasingly detached from supporters. 

Performances bore out Wenger’s claim that contracts were placing players in a ‘comfort zone’, with a two-tier wage system that saw regulars paid half of those who barely featured.

As players ran down their contracts Arsenal were fighting fires, either giving in to gross demands or watching the likes of Danny Welbeck and Aaron Ramsey leave on free transfers. 


Mikel Arteta

A New Culture

 

By 2019 Arsenal were reporting heavy losses, their wage bill 60% of their turnover, hoping £72million Nicolas Pepe would reward their expenditure with a Champions League return.

But ambition turned into a dangerous gamble when the pandemic struck, costing Arsenal a match-day income accounting for 25% of revenue, with rumors of player revolt at a proposed pay cut.

Arteta was just three months into his tenure, but was already winning fans over with talk of changing the energy and making players accept a new process, proving a man of his word.

Leading by example the squad followed Arteta's 12.5% pay reduction, and although Ozil dug his heels in - blaming a lack of consultation - the winds were changing.

Clearing the deadwood was nothing but painful, with Mkhitaryan going to Roma for £1 million, and Arsenal buying out Mustafi and Sokratis despite their £50 million price tag.  

However, the hurt was eased by the likes of Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe breaking through, with Arteta turning his bloated squad into the youngest side in the league.


What Next?

 

This summer will likely see the departure of Alexandre Lacazette in what will be the end of the great clear out, a new contract for Saka a sign of mistakes learnt, but success doesn't come from slashing wages, and now is the time to invest in a squad and manager worthy of the shirt. 


Photo Credit: Getty Images


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