The crazy sum Arsenal could bank from Wembley Stadium move as 70k Emirates rebuild accelerates

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Arsenal could be set for another big change in the near future, as an expansion of the Emirates Stadium is in the plans.

The Gunners have enjoyed a rise back towards the top of the Premier League that has seen them competing across many departments.

With that has come the idea of the Emirates Stadium feeling like home for the very first time since moving from Highbury.

Fans are behind Mikel Arteta and the current iteration of the Arsenal squad, with results and performances backing up that belief they hold.

One area that could be improved upon, however, is the overall attendance of the Emirates Stadium, which consistently sells out.

With rivals such as Tottenham and Liverpool already upgrading their stadia, and plans for Manchester United to do the same, Arsenal now have plans to improve that will result in some big changes.

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How much Arsenal could get for Wembley Stadium move amid Emirates Stadium expansion

Arsenal have been planning to expand the Emirates Stadium for some time, with plans to add on some additional seats for extra supporters.

It was unclear exactly what this would look like, but it now seems as though the switch will require a move to Wembley Stadium to make it work.

That’s according to The Telegraph, which states that the Gunners may have to relocate while the rest of the stadium is completed.

That would mirror a similar move made by rivals Tottenham, which saw them spend some time at England’s home ground.

While it’ll have an impact on supporters and players, it also shows up as a new challenge for the financial department under the guidance of Stan Kroenke and Josh Kroenke.

TBR Football’s finance expert, Adam Williams, explained all as he said: “When Spurs played at Wembley, they paid about £15 million per season to rent the stadium. But they were significantly up on the deal as they got to keep all of the gate receipts.

“Presumably, it would be a similar arrangement if Arsenal move in temporarily. Then, you have to figure out what you’re doing with catering contracts and so on. That might sound trivial, but you can sometimes get seven figures from food and drink alone on a matchday. Extrapolate that over the course of the season and it’s big, big money.

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“So how much would they earn at Wembley? Let’s take their matchday income in 2023-24 as a benchmark. They earned £132m that season, which is the last one for which we’ve got the published accounts. That worked out at about £2,175 per seat over the course of the campaign at the Emirates.

“At Wembley, that would equate to £196 million if it sold out every match. But that’s unlikely, so let’s say it’s on average 85 per cent full. You’re looking at £165 million there. It’s an imperfect calculation because the two stadiums have different facilities in terms of hospitality and so on, but it won’t be too far out.

“If they move to 70,000 at the Emirates, I think they’ll want to be hitting £200 million in matchday income. That’s a big step up, but the extra 10,000 seats are going to be proportionately geared towards hospitality.

“Stadium design is even more commercially-minded than it was when the Emirates first opened. There’s an army of people behind the scenes doing things like fan behaviour analysis to configure the stadium in the perfect way to maximise revenues.

“Arsenal’s Diamond Club costs something like £35,000 per year for a season ticket. There will be more stuff in that department, too.

“The challenge is getting the financing right so that the debt you take on doesn’t eat into that £200 million annual matchday income too much.

“It’s not an ideal time to be arranging that. Debt is expensive, and supply chain and labour issues mean that building a stadium is basically more expensive than ever.”

It underlines just how much more Arsenal could get to help compete against their rivals, which is much-needed in an era where finances are being stretched among those at the top.

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Arsenal could extend their advantage over rivals with the Emirates Stadium expansion

While Arsenal are no longer the club with the biggest stadium capacity in London, their move to do so will likely solidify their place at the top in terms of matchday income.

The UEFA European Club Finance and Investment Landscape report for 2024 had the Gunners as the top Premier League club in almost every matchday metric.

On ticket income alone, it was claimed that the club makes an average of £5 million per home game, behind only PSG (£6 million) and Real Madrid (£6.1 million).

Total gate receipts sat at £127 million for the year, once again, only behind PSG (£139 million) and Real Madrid (£153 million).

Teams such as Tottenham and Liverpool have been catching up with their own stadium moves, which have seen the gap narrow.

However, this further expansion should keep Arsenal at the very top.