Kieran Maguire Q&A: Arsenal's spending power under SCR, UEFA rules & significant Martinelli profit
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire answers all questions about Arsenal’s remaining budget this summer.
Arsenal have spent just over £140 million in the 2026 summer transfer window so far, with the highlight being a £75m deal for Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United.
Christos Tzolis already looks like a bargain following his £34 million move. Piero Hincapie’s move becoming permanent is the other piece of business done by the Gunners so far.
There have been some whispers about Arsenal’s spending power under the new Squad Cost Ratio rules in the Premier League, which limits a club to spending 85% of their revenue on transfer fees, wages, amortisation and agent fees.
James McNicholas on YouTube raised concerns over Arsenal’s SCR limit, and now football finance guru Kieran Maguire has explained the situation.
Kieran Maguire explains Arsenal’s SCR situation
With Arsenal’s projected revenue of £750m for the 2025/26 season, the Gunners should have significant spending power under the new SCR regulations.
Speaking exclusively to Arsenal Insider, Maguire explained that the Gunners are not near their SCR cap this summer.
Are Arsenal near their SCR spending limit?
“Arsenal certainly still have the capacity to spend in the current window, you have to remember that,” Maguire said.
“When you sign a player, normally the calibre of player that Arsenal are signing, they’re going to be on a minimum of a five-year contract.
“So signing a player for £85million, that works out as £17million a year through amortisation.
How Arsenal’s sales impact their spending power
“They have managed a few sales. Trossard was towards the end of his contract, so they have made a decent profit there.
“There are rumours of Martinelli going. He’s a player who’s been there a few years, so his book value is low. That means you’re picking up an awful lot of profit on the sale.
The impact of Champions League money and matchday revenue
“Arsenal have a high UEFA coefficient on the back of getting to the final last year and competing in the tournament every year in recent years, so that helps their UEFA coefficient and distribution of TV money.
“They’ve got a magnificent stadium where they charge some of the highest prices in the country. Probably averaging between £90 and £100 per fan per match when you crunch the numbers.
“All of those are positives. They don’t intend to overpay in terms of wages, so you put all of those factors together and revenue’s doing really well. Costs are up, but not unreasonably so, which means that they’ve still got the capacity to do whatever they want in that department.
Arsenal have to juggle UEFA and Premier League rules
“The main difference between the Premier League and UEFA rules is that UEFA have a 70% spending limit compared to the 85% limit that operates in the Premier League.
“So if you are one of the nine clubs that are presently in Europe, you’ve got to abide by UEFA’s rules first, if you don’t, you could face a UEFA sanction.
“Secondly, if you want to, you can effectively pay a tax. A club can technically go up to 115% of revenue on player costs in the Premier League. If it does so, it pays a tax on the excess above the 85%, and there are complicated rules that if you do that, then your limits decrease in future years.
“So they’re messy, we’ve got the green and the red lines. If you go above 115% on player costs and the costs of wages, amortisation, impairments and agents’ fees, then you will face an automatic points deduction.
Arsenal can spend big, but they must follow Uefa and Premier League rules
To put it simply, Maguire is confident that Arsenal still have a big transfer budget to play with.
If revenue for 2025/26 has hit £750 million like forecasts have predicted, then Arsenal can spend 70% of that on transfer fees, wages, amortisation from previous transfers and agent fees.
Because of Arsenal’s participation in the Champions League, the spending limit is 70% of revenue as per the Uefa rules. Premier League clubs not in Europe can go up to 85%.
But fans should not be concerned about any sanctions or points deductions. Maguire is confident Arsenal are well within their spending limits.
It means the transfer business at the Emirates Stadium might not be done just yet. There are ongoing links to Victor Osimhen and reports of interest in Jarrell Quansah.
The money is there to spend…
