Arsenal Break Transfer Record with Signing of Kai Havertz from Chelsea

Now it’s official: Kai Havertz is moving from Chelsea to Arsenal in London. The Germany player has signed a long-term deal with the Gunners – reportedly until 2028. With a market value of €55m according to the Premier League’s most recent update, the 24-year-old is by far the most valuable transfer between the rivals – the fee lies above this sum.

Docherty to Havertz: Transfers between Arsenal and Chelsea → Click here for the gallery!

According to reports, Arsenal FC is transferring around 70 million euros to the Blues, who can even hope for up to 75 million euros thanks to bonuses. Havertz has thus become the second most expensive entry in the history of the “Gunners”, and Chelsea’s second most expensive exit. After his EUR 80 million move from Bayer Leverkusen to Stamford Bridge in 2020, Havertz has also risen to become the most expensive German professional in terms of total transfer income. Leroy Sané (27) previously held this position, with transfers to Man City and Bayern totaling EUR 101 million.

Havertz had reportedly informed the Chelsea bosses that he wanted to change in the summer. The offensive player competes with FC Arsenal in the Champions League, while the Blues clearly missed the European Cup. Loud “sports picture“Coach Mikel Arteta was also decisive, who is said to have assured Havertz that he could play in his favorite position in central midfield. “Kai is a player of the highest quality. He has great versatility and is an intelligent player. He will enormously strengthen our midfield and enrich our game,” said Arteta.

Performance data from Kai Havertz

Havertz added: “It’s super exciting for me to join this amazing club and become part of the Arsenal family. This club has such a big history and I hope we can achieve a lot. The mentality in the Arsenal squad is very high and you can feel it. That’s one of the reasons Arsenal have been so difficult to play lately. The goal is to win trophies and I will do everything to achieve that for the fans and everyone at the club.”

The sale of Havertz secures another important cash flow for Chelsea ahead of July 1, which will help prevent problems with UEFA’s financial regulations which the club is facing after record global spending in the 2022/23 season. The German is the first signing for the north Londoners for the coming season, but more top-flight transfers are to follow.

Podolski to Havertz: Most expensive German footballers by total revenue → Click here for the gallery!

Arsenal have already made three offers for midfielder Declan Rice (24), who is also being courted by Man City, the first two of which were rejected by West Ham. The third offer is said to be around EUR 121.5 million – and apparently successful. Ajax is also in talks about defender Jurrien Timber (22), there are 35 million euros in the room. And so Arsenal is once again heading for a record summer in which the €200 million mark could be broken for the first time. As with Chelsea, the question is: how can the club afford to spend on financial fair play?

Havertz transfer the start: How can Arsenal make record spending?

Arsenal’s era of prudence has come to an end under US owner Stan Kroenke, who took full charge of the club in August 2018. With the exception of the 2020/21 Corona season, the spending record has been broken every season since 2019. And all without significant sales that would balance the balance sheets. For Arsenal, who have posted a pre-tax loss of almost €263m in the last three years, there is nothing preventing them from continuing to invest in new players. Unlike Chelsea or Man City, the Gunners are not among the 19 clubs put on UEFA’s watch list last September.

Chelsea in a new dimension: Highest transfer spend in a season → Click here for the gallery!

The rules of financial sustainability will be gradually introduced over a period of three years up to 2025. From then on, clubs are only allowed to invest 70 percent of their income from the football business in the squad. In addition to compensation, this also includes salaries and consultant fees. In 2023/24 it will still be 90 percent. In the future, an investor or external financier will only be allowed to compensate for a maximum deficit of EUR 20 million per season, and a further EUR 10 million, subject to conditions, could be added. On top of that, Arsenal also have to comply with Premier League financial rules. But the north Londoners are unlikely to struggle with domestic regulations any time soon. The clubs are allowed to lose up to €122 million over a three-year observation period, and there are a number of exceptions, such as losses due to a pandemic.

An important factor for Arsenal and other investment-friendly clubs is that transfer fees for newcomers are written off in the books over the entire contract period, which is why clubs like Chelsea have recently opted for very long terms up to 2031. However, UEFA put a stop to this practice on Wednesday, and in future transfers can be spread over a maximum of five years. In contrast to the last three seasons, according to “The AthleticIt is also conceivable that Arsenal can earn more than 100 million euros through the departures such as Granit Xhaka (30), who is moving to Havertz’ former club Bayer Leverkusen.

That’s why Chelsea are awarding contracts for so long

In addition, Arsenal have had, and still have, their costs under pretty good control, even when the Gunners weren’t in the European Cup. Salary payments of EUR 246 million accounted for only 58 percent of sales in 2021/22 and only in the 2020/21 Corona season was the share over 70 percent. Heavyweights such as Man United (€446m), Man City (€411m) and Chelsea (€395m) clearly overshadowed Arsenal.

Hazard ahead of Haaland & Lewandowski: Europe’s top earners according to “L’Équipe” → Click here for the gallery!

Arsenal’s income will also continue to rise outside of the transfer market. The runner-up can look forward to increasing national TV money, additional money from broadcasting rights abroad as well as bonuses and ticket sales in the European Cup. Reaching the “premier league” also guarantees the “Gunners” a bonus from the main sponsor “Emirates”, a total of at least EUR 35 million is expected without even having played a game.

Join the discussion about Arsenal and Chelsea in the England forum

The Premier League and UEFA will be watching Arsenal’s actions closely, like any other club, but the Gunners remain calm. Coach Arteta already emphasized last summer that financial regulations will be observed. “I think the club has always been very disciplined and had a clear vision of how we want to do things,” said the Spaniard. Little has changed and the successes have only strengthened Arsenal. Transfer spending in 2021 and 2022 may have been a risk in times of lower earnings, but now the Gunners are on a far more solid footing.

German transfer record history since 1984: From Rummenigge to Havertz → Click here for the gallery!
2023-06-28 19:12:34
#Arsenal #confirm #signing #Chelsea #pro #Kai #Havertz