North London giants Arsenal are not only a highly successful football club, but they’re also an enormously successful business, which is necessary in the rough and tumble of modern football. The Gunners have a worldwide fanbase, a very strong club brand, and several multi-million-pound sponsorship deals, all of which allow them to splash the cash necessary for on-field achievement.
The club’s ownership is also key to their success, as sole owner, Stan Kroenke, has allowed the Gunners to invest in the top players that are currently thriving in Mikel Arteta’s side. Kroenke is the owner of Arsenal Holdings plc, the parent company of Arsenal FC, a business that also owns a number of other Arsenal-related subsidiary companies. These include Arsenal (Emirates Stadium) Limited, which owns and operates the Emirates Stadium, and Arsenal Overseas Ltd, which manages the club’s worldwide retail operations.
All of these different aspects that make up Arsenal serve to increase the club’s value. So, how much is the club worth, how has this changed over the years, and how does the value of the Gunners compare to other big clubs?
How Much Are Arsenal Worth?
Well, according to Forbes’ Soccer Teams Valuations rankings, Arsenal are worth a whopping $2.05 billion (as of May 2022). This vast sum is calculated from the several different components that make up the value of a football club. Below, we have created a table to highlight how much these different components are worth, as well as showing what percentage of Arsenal’s total value they make up.
| Component | Value | Total Value % |
|---|---|---|
| Broadcasting | $1.048bn | 51.1% |
| Commercial | $646m | 31.5% |
| Brand | $334m | 16.3% |
| Matchday | $22m | 1.1% |
We can clearly see here that broadcasting is by far the most important part of the Gunners’ valuation, considering that it accounts for over half of the club’s total value! This demonstrates just how crucial TV revenue from the Premier League, as well as from domestic and European competitions, is in ensuring that the club remains in a financially stable position.
The commercial side, made up of merchandising, sponsorships and other commercial revenue, is also hugely important, and the club’s lucrative contracts with brands, such as Puma and Emirates, are a key part of this. Arsenal’s brand value is effectively the value placed on the club’s trademark and the intellectual property associated with it, and the Gunners’ international reputation and on-field successes will help boost this.
Finally, we have the club’s matchday value, which is made up of ticket sales and other matchday revenue sources, and only accounts for just over 1% of the club’s total worth. This shows just how little modern clubs actually rely on the cash they make from matchdays, largely due to the enormous sums paid out in TV revenue on a yearly basis.
How Has Arsenal’s Value Changed Over the Years?
Over the past decade or so, the north London side’s value has skyrocketed. Back in 2013, the Gunners were reportedly worth $1.3 billion, an eye-watering figure by any means, which is some $800 million less than what they’re worth now. This just goes to show how more and more money has been poured into football in recent years. However, it is worth noting that the club’s value actually significantly decreased from 2021 to 2022, dropping from $2.8 billion in 2021 to its current value of $2.05 billion. This was a change of -27% in just one year!
Below, we have compiled a table to highlight how Arsenal’s value has fluctuated over the past nine years, according to Forbes. For reference, there is no data available for 2020, due to the global health crisis at the time.
| Year | Club Value (Billions) |
|---|---|
| 2013 | $1.3 |
| 2014 | $1.3 |
| 2015 | $1.3 |
| 2016 | $2 |
| 2017 | $1.9 |
| 2018 | $2.2 |
| 2019 | $2.3 |
| 2021 | $2.8 |
| 2022 | $2.1 |
How Much Have Arsenal Been Sold for in the Past?
Arsenal’s ownership through a parent company, Arsenal Holdings, makes them rather unique in the footballing world. This is because, rather than simply being able to make an overall bid for Arsenal FC itself, owner, Stan Kroenke, was only able to become the owner of the club by acquiring all of the shares in its parent company. To do so, he slowly bought out the stakes of all other shareholders.
The American’s initial foray into Arsenal shareholding came in 2007, when he purchased a 9.9% stake in the club. It was then not until 2018 that Kroenke was able to become the sole owner by purchasing the 29.25% stake of Russian Billionaire, Alisher Usmanov. This is very different to clubs, such as Chelsea, who were recently purchased by a Todd Boehly-led consortium for $4.25 billion. Arsenal have never been sold for a singular fee, although considering that Usmanov’s stake cost Kroenke £550 million, we can assume that any figure would have to be several billion if you happened to be looking to buy the club!
How Do Arsenal Compare to Other Big Clubs?
According to Forbes, Arsenal’s current value makes them the 11th most valuable football club in the world. This actually only places them as the sixth most valuable English team, behind Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea and even north London rivals, Tottenham (sorry, Arsenal fans). This is perhaps due to the club’s failure over recent years to secure Champions League football, which is worth nothing short of a fortune in broadcasting revenue.
The Gunners’ current position of 11th is a significant decrease from where the club have been ranked in the past. For example, in 2009, Arsenal were ranked as the third most valuable club on the planet, with only Man United and Real Madrid ahead of them! Below, we have created a table to show the top 12 clubs on the Soccer Team Valuation list, to demonstrate how the Gunners compare to other footballing giants.
| Rank | Club | Current Value (Billions) |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Real Madrid | $5.1 |
| #2 | Barcelona | $5 |
| #3 | Manchester United | $4.6 |
| #4 | Liverpool | $4.45 |
| #5 | Bayern Munich | $4.28 |
| #6 | Manchester City | $4.25 |
| #7 | PSG | $3.2 |
| #8 | Chelsea | $3.1 |
| #9 | Juventus | $2.45 |
| #10 | Tottenham Hotspur | $2.35 |
| #11 | Arsenal | $2.05 |
| #12 | Borussia Dortmund | $1.8 |
If Arsenal have a couple of successful seasons, however, we anticipate they will climb the standings and overtake some of the other clubs.