Arsenal fans fume after latest figures reveal club owe £154m in transfer fees

Arsenal fans have been left fuming after discovering that the club owe a staggering £154million in outstanding transfer fees to other clubs – more than any other Premier League side.

The Gunners were once considered as one of the best-run clubs in the Premier League when it came to transfer dealings, but the club's latest financial reports from last year now suggest otherwise.

The numbers have only served to fuel the current ill-feeling towards the owner following the club's part in the failed European Super League breakaway, with many backing the bid for Spotify founder Daniel Ek to take over from the American.

According to the Price of Football's Kieran Maguire, Arsenal owe the staggering amount to other clubs as of 2020, with the north London side still making payments for players like Nicolas Pepe, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette.

While it is normal for clubs to spread large payments for players into manageable instalments, Arsenal have spread the cost more often than not which has resulted in the club paying a lot more than they've needed to over time.

The latest figures suggest how Kroenke is reluctant to invest his own money into the club while showing how he has gambled on future success, with the unforeseen coronavirus pandemic wreaking financial havoc on every club globally.

Arsenal's transfer strategy raises even more eyebrows considering they will likely still be making payments on the £27m owed for William Saliba, who is yet to make a Premier League appearance for the club. The defender was shipped out on loan in January to Nice after failing to impress boss Mikel Arteta.

The club's financial records will only harm Kroenke's profile as the club's owner, who has seen the club slowly slide towards mediocrity during his reign since he became the majority shareholder in 2011, leaving fans furious after another tumultuous week at the Emirates.

Following the publishing of the figures, fans were left seething by how the club was run by their American owner, who is valued at just under £6bn.

'Does it ever end?! This club is a bottomless pit of banter!' one fan exclaimed after discovering how much is owed.

Others labelled the findings as 'pathetic' and 'pretty alarming' while many tweeted the hashtag 'KroenkeOut' as a result.

Another disgruntled fans insisted that 'enough is enough' while another described the figures as 'the mess Stan created'.

Kroenke's involvement in the now-defunct European Super League resulted in fierce backlash from the club's fanbase while protests against his ownership continued in the aftermath after Arsenal revealed they would no longer be joining the multi-billion pound project.

There have been calls for Kroenke to sell the club in the past week, with Spotify's billionaire founder tweeting last Friday that he is interested in purchasing the club after revealing that he has been a Gunners supporter all his life.

However, a statement from Kroenke Sports Enterprises insisted that no offer for the club would be entertained.

The statement on Tuesday evening said: 'In recent days we have noted media speculation regarding a takeover of Arsenal football club.

'We remain 100% committed to Arsenal, are not selling any stake in the club, have not received any offer and will not entertain any offer.

'Our ambition for Arsenal remains to compete to win the biggest trophies in the game and our focus remains on improving our competitiveness on the pitch to achieve this.'

While Arsenal top the list in outstanding transfer fees owed, Manchester United and the Gunners' north London rivals Tottenham aren't far behind.

United and Spurs both owe £149m to other clubs after they splashed out in recent seasons, while Chelsea sit fourth in the list with £127m owed to other clubs.

Manchester City and Liverpool both have £73m in transfer fees to pay off while Burnley are the most frugal club in this regard, owing just £2m in outstanding payments.