As we approach the end of the transfer window with only £2m spent on transfer fees so far, let’s look at how much the Arsenal board make in a year.
The board’s remuneration is a hot topic of debate among fans.
Every penny spent on employing a board member is seen as one fewer to throw into the negotiations for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and the rest.
But how much do they really earn?
After Arsenal published their latest set of accounts, blogger AngryOfIslington put together a helpful table on all the board members and how much they’ve earned since 2002.
The only fee not included is the £3m paid to Kroenke Sports Enterprise in 2014 and 2015, while also excluding any free hospitality such as meals, seats at matches, and so on.
Other than that, here are the figures in full:
As you can see, Ken Friar and Ivan Gazidis earn considerably more than any of the others right now. That’s because they’re the only two executive directors.
The other four only receive ‘directors’ fees’ of £25,000.
Gazidis’ current yearly earnings of around £2.6m are still significantly below Arsene Wenger’s. The Arsenal boss earns at least £7m-per-year, according to figures from Forbes. £8m according to the Daily Mail.
Most of the first team players also earn more, but not all.
Figures from totalsportek.com suggest David Ospina, Matt Macey, Rob Holding, Carl Jenkinson and Alex Iwobi all earn less than the Arsenal CEO.
Calum Chambers also earned less than Gazidis at the start of the season, but he recently signed an extension, so that may no longer be the case.
If the board bring in players like Aubameyang, I don’t think most fans care what they earn.
However, while the most recent three transfer deals are a player swap, a free transfer and a 20-year-old for £2m, it might get on supporters’ nerves a bit more.
All the more reason to get another deal over the line in the next few days, then.