Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke has always wanted the club to stand on its own two feet financially.
But the uber-intense competition in the Premier League and Europe, coupled with the need to correct the recruitment and retention mistakes of a previous era at the Emirates, mean that has not yet been possible.
Kroenke has underwritten Arsenal’s business to the tune of nearly £350m since becoming 100 per cent owner in 2018.
While the underlying financial metrics have been strong, the investment in the wage and transfer markets sanctioned by the owner have seen the club post losses seven seasons in a row.
However, the tide has now turned. Kroenke’s investment and the management of Mikel Arteta have restored Arsenal to the Champions League and the top end of the Premier League.
They go into 2026-27 as defending champions domestically, while they will be hoping to go one better in the Champions League, where they were beaten on penalties by Paris Saint-Germain in May.
It is not just on-pitch performances which have strengthened Arsenal’s top line and, therefore, reduced the reliance on Kroenke’s funding however. In the commercial department, business is booming.
Outgoing Juliet Slot strikes Emirates sponsorship renewal
Arsenal’s relationship with Emirates is now one of the longest-running commercial deals in European football.
The airline has been partnered with the Gunners since 2006, when they struck a naming rights deal for the club’s new stadium which, incidentally, Arsenal are now looking to expand.
Today, The Telegraph reported that the pair have now extended the front-of-shirt, training kit and naming rights deal until at least 2032 at an increase on the £45m-a-year at which the last contract was signed. That means the new arrangement will be worth at least £270m over its lifetime, and likely significantly more.
The deal appears to be the final act of outgoing chief commercial officer Juliet Slot, whose departure was announced last week. She had been with the club since 2021, a period in which the Gunners’ annual commercial income increased from £140m to £260m.
It remains to be seen who will be appointed as her successor, but Kroenke Sports & Entertainment recently set up a new arm which will oversee sponsorship sales across their sports portfolio, which include the NFL’s LA Rams and NBA’s Denver Nuggets.
Olly Dale, a former Arsenal commercial executive, was appointed to lead that department but has since left the group for a gig with Elevate Sports, a commercial agency.
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