The Premier League will vote on a motion to introduce a hard spending cap on Monday, with multiple big-six clubs opposing the idea.

arsenal fc v chelsea fc premier league 15
LONDON, ENGLAND: Mauricio Pochettino, Manager of Chelsea, looks dejected during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Chelsea FC at Emirates Stadium on April 23, 2024. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

The Athletic report that a majority of Premier League clubs are keen to introduce a hard spending cap from the 2025/26 season onwards, limiting the amount of money a club can invest in their squad.

More specifically, clubs would only be allowed  to spend five times the commercial and broadcast revenue of the lowest team in the division.

For an example, The Athletic report that since 20th-placed Southampton earned £103.6m in 2022/23, the cap would have been £518m.

Chelsea would have breached that cap, and Manchester City would have come close to a breach.

Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola gestures on the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, northwest England, on December 3, 2023. (Photo by DARREN STAPLES/AFP via Getty Images)
Manchester City’s Spanish manager Pep Guardiola gestures on the touchline during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, northwest England, on December 3, 2023. (Photo by DARREN STAPLES/AFP via Getty Images)

Various big-six clubs oppose the change, with Chelsea, Manchester City, and Manchester United expressing concerns and pointing out it could be a breach of UK competition law.

The idea is obviously more popular with clubs lower down the table, as they view it as a way to stop the biggest clubs running away from them in financial terms.

Despite Arsenal’s relatively heavy spending in recent years, they would have been £192m below the spending cap if it had existed last season.

So from a self-serving point of view, it’s not clear whether Arsenal would be for or against the proposal.

Preventing endless spending from the likes of Chelsea might be good, given not all clubs will spend that money as badly as Chelsea have. But it could come back to bite Arsenal in the future if the club keeps growing and becomes one of those big spenders.

Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta looks on during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium in London on April 23, 2024. (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)
Arsenal’s Spanish manager Mikel Arteta looks on during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium in London on April 23, 2024. (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)

The Premier League will vote on the motion on Monday, so it may not be long until we know for sure which way Arsenal have gone, and we’ll definitely learn whether the motion has sufficient support to pass.