Arsenal’s approach to player bonuses is evolving.
The Gunners could be crowned Premier League champions tonight if Manchester City drop points at Bournemouth, and the Champions League final awaits against Paris Saint-Germain thereafter.
Arsenal, therefore, are two games away from their best ever season, even if the debate about their best ever team will continue. In terms of the finances, however, the club will have already broken records this term, regardless of what happens between now and 30 May.
In the first few years after Stan Kroenke took 100 per cent control of the club in 2018, revenue was erratic and the club racked up losses of over £300m. Kroenke, to his credit, has underwritten the deficit and then some, with Arsenal increasing their wage and transfer amortisation bills significantly in recent years.
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The financial statements for 2024-25 show a payroll of £347m, the highest in the club’s history. And ahead of 2025-26, Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta were allowed to spend almost £250m net on new signings.
When the accounts for the current season are released next spring, expenses will have increased again. And if Arsenal can pull off a historic Premier League and Champions League double, it is not outlandish to suggest that they could record one of the highest wage bills in the history of English football.
That will be mainly due to bonuses paid to players. Earlier this month, The Times revealed fascinating details about the structure of Arsenal’s bonus pool.
- Champions League final win: ~£125,000 per player
- Semi-final appearance: ~£25,000 per leg
- Qualifying for the competition: £750,000–£1m (for players who started 60%+ of league matches the previous season)
- League title bonus: ~£6,000 per appearance
- Bonus pool share: Additional earnings from a collective pool accrued through league and cup progress, distributed by appearances at season’s end
Based on those figures, some basic arithmetic and – granted – a little bit of conjecture, it would appear that Arsenal could pay out around £25m to players if they win the double.
And as University of Liverpool football finance lecturer Kieran Maguire explains in exclusive conversation with Arsenal Insider, the bonus structure speaks to the new approach elite clubs like Arsenal are taking with incentivised player contracts.
“Contracts for elite players are highly indexed to success as a collective,” says the Price of Football podcast host.
“What we are seeing is a move away from individual contributions on the pitch being the main drivers. The days of a player getting a goal or assist bonus have gone. The research indicates that outdated structure can impact decision making if players are being rewarded on an individual basis.
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“As far as most clubs are concerned, they will make sure the bonuses structure is set up so it has multiple beneficiaries. There are, for example, bonuses for each place in the Premier League table. So, of the money you get for each place in the league, one-third goes to player bonuses, one-third goes to the club, and the final third goes to recruitment.
“Players are therefore fully aware of the implications. At the elite end, the bonuses are tied to Champions League participation. That seems fairly set in stone at the Big Six level. Arsenal are certainly in line with that.
“There will be substantial benefits from their commercial partners as well as the prize money for winning the Premier League. Arsenal will monetise the success with commercial partners, saying a sponsor can have their product’s logo alongside a Premier League or Champions League trophy. Alongside that, the players are tiered in terms of their commercial impact and what they can offer sponsors, which is tied into the image rights provision of their contracts.”
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