Arsenal bank £15m in business that has gone completely under the radar

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Arsenal pocketed around £70m from the sales of Eddie Nketiah, Emile Smith Rowe, and Aaron Ramsdale this summer, but a new revenue stream has pushed that figure even higher.

The Gunners are likely to hit a number of all-time highs this season in terms of their finances, thanks in large part to the performances Mikel Arteta has inspired on the pitch.

The return to the Champions League last season was worth almost £65m, while the commercial prestige delivered by competing at the very top of the Premier League has also been extraordinarily lucrative.

Arsenal‘s business model has – until the last few seasons, at least – been to spend within their means and not rely on owner Stan Kroenke to underwrite financial losses.

In the era of Profit and Sustainability Rules, which limit clubs to losing £105m over a rolling three-year period, generating cash from business operations has never been more critical.

Arsenal have had a busy summer on the commercial front, securing a number of new sponsorship deals and planting more seeds in the United States during their pre-season tour.

The latest research shows how much the North London club have banked on this front – and it makes pleasant reading for Arteta, Edu Gaspar and the Emirates faithful.

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Arsenal strike nine new deals

Earlier this month, Arsenal embarked on a new partnership with NTT Data having previously struck deals with Chivas Regal and Athletic Brewing among others.

Now, a study from Global Data has found that having signed nine deals in total this summer, Arseanl’s sponsorship inventory has expanded more than any other Premier League club.

It is claimed that those deals will be worth approximately £15m to Arsenal this season alone.

Across the Premier League, sponsorship revenue has increased by 12.4 per cent to £1.26bn.

Arsenal have not yet released their accounts for 2023-24, but their commercial income the previous season stood at £173m.

While that figure is far higher than the next challenger, it is the smallest of any of the so-called Big Six teams by some margin.

For context, North London rivals Tottenham earned £228m over the same period.

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How much will Arsenal earn this season and are they safe in terms of PSR?

Under Josh Kroenke and his peers in the boardroom, Arsenal are expected to reveal record financials when they release their 2023-24 accounts some time early next year.

Commercial revenue will almost certainly surpass £200m, bringing them closer to their Big Six rivals.

Thanks to sell-out crowds at the Emirates, from which many fans will have visited the on-site store after the final whistle, their matchday income is also expected to beat the £103m record they set in 2022-23.

Arsenal have no issues with PSR, contrary to what they appeared to be briefing to some journalists over the summer.

However, the fact that their amortisation bill (how football clubs account for transfers over a period of time), will increase markedly to reflect two expensive summers will squeeze the margins somewhat.

The North London club will not be anywhere close to a breach in either the Premier League or UEFA’s PSR system but commercial income is central to maintaining their bulletproof status.