Arsenal make West Ham’s Rice record buy and most expensive Englishman

Officially

Two weeks after Kai Havertz, Declan Rice is here and Arsenal are nearing a club spending record. The runner-up confirmed the agreement with London rivals West Ham United on a change of defensive midfielder, who, with a reported transfer fee of 122.7 million euros including bonuses, became the most expensive purchase in the history of the “Gunners” and could break two more records. In addition, he is once again displacing his future colleague Havertz from the top of the most expensive transfers within the British capital.

Together with the basic fee of 70 million euros that Arsenal pays to Chelsea for Havertz, the north Londoners already come to around 187 million euros. Just below the €192 million that set a new record last season – albeit with eight transfers. After owner Stan Kroenke increased his stake by 30 percent to over 90 percent in 2018, Arsenal has achieved a new spending record in every season since 2019/20 – with the exception of the Corona year 20/21. This season, the 200 million mark will probably be exceeded for the first time.

Rice, meanwhile, becomes the 15th footballer to cost more than €100m and only the second after Enzo Fernández, who is more defensively oriented, for whom Chelsea paid €121m. In June, Champions League winners Manchester City also courted the London native, who initially drew level with Arsenal’s previous offer of €93m plus €12m in bonuses before West Ham rejected both offers. Only Arsenal then came forward with a better offer.

Rice before Bellingham
Most expensive Englishman in historyTo overview
According to the “Guardians“ to a fixed fee of 116.9 million euros, which is due in three installments within the next 24 months. In addition, there are possible bonuses of 5.8 million euros and if these are activated, Rice will not only replace Jack Grealish (Man City) as the most expensive end lengthener, but also Fernández as the most expensive signing in Premier League history. Curious: the two most expensive Englishmen, as long as the bonuses from Jude Bellingham’s move to Real Madrid are not activated, were Irish (U-)national players before they finally decided for the “Three Lions”.

After Havertz & Rice transfers: how can Arsenal make record spending?

Rice can now also play in the Champions League in his hometown. The revenue from the ‘premier class’ will help Arsenal in no small measure to fund their expensive transfers. The qualification alone, without having played a game at all, secures the club a bonus of at least 35 million euros from the main sponsor “Emirates”. With a pre-tax loss of almost EUR 263 million in the last three years, UEFA’s financial regulations are likely to come more into focus in Islington as well. However, unlike Chelsea or Man City, Arsenal are not among the 19 clubs put on the European governing body’s watch list last September.

The rules of financial sustainability will be gradually introduced over a period of three years up to 2025. From then on, clubs can only invest 70 percent of their income from the football business in the squad. In addition to compensation, this also includes salaries and consultant fees. In 2023/24 it will still be 90 percent. An investor or external financier, in this case US entrepreneur Kroenke, will in future only be able to compensate for a maximum deficit of EUR 20 million per season, and a further EUR 10 million, subject to conditions, could be added.

Unlike in the last three seasons, however, it is also conceivable that Arsenal can once again generate significant income from player sales. “The Athletic” assumes that Granit Xhaka (30), who was drawn to Havertz’ former club Bayer Leverkusen, has a transfer potential of over 100 million euros. In addition, Arsenal have had, and still have, their costs under pretty good control, even when the Gunners weren’t in the European Cup. Salary payments of EUR 246 million accounted for only 58 percent of sales in 2021/22 and only in the 2020/21 Corona season was the share over 70 percent. Heavyweights like Man United (€446m), Man City (€411m) and Chelsea (€395m) clearly overshadowed Arsenal, who currently have the second most valuable squad in the world.

A new chapter begins. pic.twitter.com/ha5Btd8I2h

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) July 15, 2023

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