Arsenal cash in from £128m fund thanks to Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice

Add as preferred source on Google

Arsenal are on course for substantial windfall thanks to Euro 2024 stars Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice.

Both Rice and Saka have started every match for England at the European Championship in Germany, where they will face Spain in the final on Sunday.

Arsenal will have four representatives at the match in Berlin – Saka, Rice and backup goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, as well as his opposite number, David Raya.

It is a little known fact that UEFA compensate clubs for every player that represents them at the Euros.

The total amount that the likes of Arsenal can bank depends on how deep into the tournament their players go.

In total, Arsenal have had 10 representatives at the tournament, with UEFA paying a set fee per player for every day they are at the Euros.

Arsenal guaranteed seven-figure sum for Euros stars

In 2008, the European Club Association, of which Arsenal are an influential member, successfully lobbied UEFA to set aside cash to be distributed to clubs based on their players’ presence at the Euros.

Initially, the sum was just £27m but the last update to the pot in 2016 saw the total rise to £128m.

How is this money divvied up? Clubs receive around £7,500 for every day that one of their players is away at the competition.

Modern football is accustomed to dealing in millions rather than thousands, so that fee might not initially sound like much.

But with four Arsenal stars reaching the very end of the tournament, the club will receive around £900,000.

That figure rises well past the £1m mark when taking into account Arsenal’s other players who exited the Euros at an earlier stage.

And, in fact, the true amount will likely be even higher given that UEFA has now switched to a system which gives club an eight per cent cut of its TV and commercial deals.

• READ MORE ARSENAL FINANCE NEWS: Arsenal and Tottenham weighing up next moves amid fresh takeover battle twist

TBR Analysis: Will the extra cash help Arsenal’s PSR position and transfer budget?

While a few extra million might not move the dial that much in the context of Arsenal’s annual revenue of almost £470m, every penny counts in the era of PSR in which spending is tied to turnover.

Stan Kroenke has historically operated a self-funding model for Arsenal, although the club has departed from that strategy somewhat over the last two years.

That may be thanks to the influence of Josh Kroenke, Stan’s son who appears to be targeting greater commercial growth through success on the pitch.

And with the Premier League expected to move to a PSR system that caps wages and transfer fees at 85 per cent of revenue from 2025-26, a seven-figure windfall will be greatly welcomed by the Gunners.