By Kieran Maguire

2nd Oct, 2023 | 5:59am

Kieran Maguire shares £150m Man United claim after Odegaard deal agreed

Arsenal will have to loosen their wage structure if they want to keep their best talent and win trophies.

That is the view of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who spoke about the Gunners’ wage bill in comparison to the rest of the ‘Big Six’.

Arsenal confirmed on 22 September that club captain Martin Odegaard has signed a new long-term deal at The Emirates.

As reported by Football Insider, Odegaard’s new contract is worth £200,000-a-week and will run until 2028, making him one of the club’s top earners.

Arsenal’s 2021/22 accounts revealed that they are paying £205million in staff wages – £150million less than Man United.

However, the North London side have since tied down William Saliba, Gabriel, Bukayo Saka. Gabriel Martinelli and now Odegaard to new and improved deals.

Maguire believes Arsenal will have to drop their tight wage control and return to the ‘top table’ of wage bills after falling behind their rivals in recent years.

“Arsenal’s wage bill is around £150million a year less than that of Manchester United,” Maguire told Football Insider’s Sean Fisher.

“If they want to keep their best talent and want to be competing for trophies, then they’ve got to be sitting at the top table when it comes to wages.

“What we have seen over the course of probably the last six to seven years is that Arsenal have fallen further and further behind the other big players.

“That’s also reflected a period in which they’ve not been competing in the Champions League.

“The Champions League realistically will contribute a minimum of £30million a year to the club – even more should they make progress.

“On the back of that, they should be in a position to pay higher wages because they are substantially behind the two Manchester clubs, Liverpool and Chelsea all of whom are paying a minimum of £330million.“

In other news, Aaron Hickey ‘happy’ at Brentford after Man United and Arsenal links