Arsenal top the transfer fee debt table as latest figures show how Stan Kroenke and Co owed £154MILLION in outstanding payments to other clubs – more than any other Premier League side
- Arsenal owed £154million in outstanding transfer fees as of last season
- The Gunners were still paying off big fees for the likes of Pepe and Aubameyang
- Following the Super League’s collapse, Kroenke has been urged to sell the club
- Spotify’s founder Daniel Ek has recently said he is interested in buying Arsenal
- However, Kroenke has insisted that he ‘won’t entertain any offers’ from buyers
Arsenal fans are fuming after discovering that the club owed a staggering £154million in outstanding transfer fees to other clubs – more than any other Premier League side.
The Gunners were once considered as one of the best-run clubs in the Premier League when it came to transfer dealings, but the club’s financial reports from last year now suggest otherwise.
The numbers have only served to fuel the current ill-feeling towards owner Stan Kroenke following the club’s part in the failed European Super League breakaway, with many backing the bid for Spotify founder Daniel Ek to take over from the American.
Arsenal owed the staggering amount to other clubs as of 2020, with the north London side still making payments for players like Nicolas Pepe, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette.
Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke has been criticised after the club’s latest figures reveal how the Gunners owed £154million in outstanding transfer fees as of May 2020
According to Price of Football, Arsenal top the charts for outstanding transfer fees as of 2020
The figures, which were recently published by the club, also appear to show how Kroenke gambled on future successes of the club, with the unforeseen coronavirus pandemic now wreaking financial havoc on every club globally.
Arsenal’s transfer strategy raises even more eyebrows considering they will likely still be making payments on the £27m owed for William Saliba, who is yet to make a Premier League appearance for the club. The defender was shipped out on loan in January to Nice after failing to impress boss Mikel Arteta.
The club’s financial records will only harm Kroenke’s profile as the club’s owner, leaving fans furious after another tumultuous week at the Emirates.
Arsenal’s recruitment policy has been criticised as of late after a number of questionable buys
Following the publishing of the figures, fans were left seething by how the club is run by their American owner, who is valued at just under £6bn.
‘Does it ever end?! This club is a bottomless pit of banter!’ one fan exclaimed.
Others labelled the findings as ‘pathetic’ and ‘pretty alarming’ while many tweeted the hashtag ‘KroenkeOut’ as a result.
Another disgruntled fan insisted that ‘enough is enough’ while another described the figures as ‘the mess Stan created’.
Kroenke’s involvement in the now-defunct European Super League resulted in fierce backlash from the club’s fanbase while protests against his ownership continued in the aftermath after Arsenal revealed they would no longer be joining the multi-billion-pound project.
The latest figures left Arsenal fans fuming, with many demanding Kroenke to sell the club
There have been calls for Kroenke to sell the club in the past week, with Spotify’s billionaire founder tweeting last Friday that he is interested in purchasing the club after revealing that he has been a Gunners supporter all his life.
However, a statement from Kroenke Sports Enterprises insisted that no offer for the club would be entertained.
The statement on Tuesday evening said: ‘In recent days we have noted media speculation regarding a takeover of Arsenal football club.
‘We remain 100% committed to Arsenal, are not selling any stake in the club, have not received any offer and will not entertain any offer.
‘Our ambition for Arsenal remains to compete to win the biggest trophies in the game and our focus remains on improving our competitiveness on the pitch to achieve this.’
Despite fierce protests from Arsenal fans, Kroenke has no intention of selling the club
Spotify’s Daniel Ek tweeted about his interest in buying Arsenal from Kroenke last week
Swedish billionaire Ek has been linked with a reported £1.8billion bid in the coming days
While Arsenal top the list in outstanding transfer fees owed last season, Manchester United and the Gunners’ north London rivals Tottenham aren’t far behind.
United and Spurs both owed £149m to other clubs after they splashed out in recent seasons, while Chelsea sit fourth in the list with £127m owed to other clubs.
Manchester City and Liverpool both had £73m in transfer fees to pay off while Burnley are the most frugal club in this regard, owing just £2m in outstanding payments.
