The £481m figure that shows why Arsenal have timed resurgence to perfection

Arsenal’s resurgence from the peripheries of the so-called 'big six' to being bona fide title challengers two years running points to a bright future at the Emirates Stadium.

The resurgence that the Gunners have enjoyed over the past couple of seasons under boss Mikel Arteta has seen the club return to the Champions League for the first time since the 2016/17 season during this current campaign, and sitting atop of the Premier League down the final stretch with ten games remaining, they will be among European football’s elite again in 2024/25, when the even more valuable 'Swiss Model' for the Champions League kicks in.

Between 1996/97 and 2016/17, Arsenal never finished outside of the top four. In years past the value of finishing well in the Premier League and the riches that the Champions League delivered weren’t as vast as they are now, and for much of those two decades, there was little to be concerned about when it came to the financial controls that existed within the Premier League either.

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Back in 2012, the Premier League introduced its profit and sustainability rules (PSR) after the fallout that was created through the near collapse of Portsmouth following reckless overspending by owners.

All clubs agreed to the constraints, where £105m of losses would be allowed over a three-year period if underwritten by owners, with deductions for investment into infrastructure, the academy, the women’s game, and community initiatives allowable.

Until the past year, there was little chatter around PSR and how it was impacting Premier League clubs. But after Everton