The last couple of years have seen Arsenal develop from surprise title challengers into Manchester City’s primary competitor for the Premier League crown.
Mikel Arteta’s side have not become the one-season wonders that so many had them down as in the 22/23 campaign, and while they are in a spot of injury and suspension-induced bother at the moment, a win on the weekend will see them remain firmly in the title race for a third year running.
It’s a world away from the team that fell into a constant fight for a top-four place under Arsène Wenger, full of players that, while talented, were never good enough to truly challenge the big boys, despite the wages the ownership would so gladly hand out.
For example, one of Wenger’s signings just over a decade ago agreed to a mammoth contract that was never truly justified and now looks all the more bizarre when compared to the salary of incredible players in the current squad, like Leandro Trossard.
Trossard's Arsenal career
Trossard made his £27m move to North London following the Gunners’ failure to sign Mykhailo Mudryk in January 2023, but in the year and a half since, it would be fair to say that securing the Belgian’s services over the Ukrainian’s was an incredible stroke of luck.
For example, in his first six months with the club, the 29-year-old racked up an impressive haul of ten assists and one goal in just 22 appearances, totalling 1071 minutes, meaning he averaged a goal involvement once every 97 minutes. In contrast, since joining, the Chelsea ace has only managed eight goals and nine assists in his 67 appearances for the Blues.
Interestingly, the former Brighton & Hove Albion star became more of a scorer of goals than a provider of them last term, showing his tactical versatility, and finished the campaign with a tally of 17 goals and two assists in 46 matches.
So, when counting this season as well, Trossard has scored 20 goals and provided 13 assists since joining the club for £27m, and he has done so while earning the comparatively low wage of £90k-per-week, which makes the salary paid to a former Arsenal flop all the more surprising.
Danny Welbeck's salary at Arsenal
Yes, the former flop in question is Danny Welbeck, who joined from Manchester United ten years ago in a surprise £16m deadline day deal, and while it might feel harsh to label him a flop due to his popularity among fans, it would be hard to deny that his time in North London was disappointing.
The former England international was only 23 at the time and had looked impressive in spells for the Red Devils, so there was hope that in a new environment, he’d be able to reach the potential so many thought he had, but unfortunately, that just didn’t happen.
Injury problems beset the talented striker, and during his five seasons in North London, he only made 126 competitive appearances, in which he could only score 32 goals and provide 13 assists, equating to a not-terrible but underwhelming average of a goal involvement every 2.8 games, which wasn’t enough to lead the line for a club of Arsenal’s stature.
Moreover, during the first three years of his deal at the Emirates, the “top signing”, as Rio Ferdinand described him, earned a whopping £115k-per-week, which then increased to £125k-per-week before he left on a free in the summer of 2019.
This means the former Red Devil earned a whopping £31m in wages during his time in North London, which, combined with his transfer fee, means he cost the club £47m in total. When we break that down, it comes to £373k-per-appearance, £1.4m-per-goal, £3.6m-per-assist, and £1m-per-goal-involvement, which can hardly be described as value for money.
Transfer Fee
£16m
Total Wages
£31m
Total Cost
£47m
Appearances
126
Cost per Appearance
£373k
Goals
32
Cost per Goal
£1.4m
Assists
13
Cost per Assist
£3.6m
Goal Involvements
45
Cost per Goal Involvement
£1m
Ultimately, while Welbeck remains a popular figure among fans, his time at the club cannot be described as anything other than disappointing, and when we consider the salaries of players like Trossard today, it only looks worse.
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