Revealed: the eight-figure sum Arsenal could be owed by Man City

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Arsenal are among a group of Premier League clubs who could be in line for a multi-million-pound compensation payout should Manchester City be sanctioned over their alleged breaches of the competition's financial rules.

The Premier League charged City with 115 alleged breaches in February 2023 following a four-year investigation, accusing the club of failing to provide accurate financial information and failing to cooperate with investigators across nine seasons, from 2009/10 to 2017/18. City denied any wrongdoing and the case went before an independent panel, which concluded its work at the end of 2024 after 12 weeks of deliberations.

According to The Athletic, the panel found Manchester City guilty on all but one of the 115 charges. The same report states that sanctions have not yet been decided and that the club are expected to appeal.

What City have said

City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has insisted the process still has "a long way to run", with the club maintaining its intention to prove its innocence.

An official club statement read: "The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed, and subject to strict confidentiality. As such, Manchester City FC's position remains consistent with the Club's statement of February 2023.

"The Club has diligently respected due process for eight years on the basis that the Premier League Board and Executive would behave as an independent, impartial and fair-minded regulator, free from partisan influence."

The numbers Arsenal could be looking at

Data specialists at OLBG have modelled what a guilty verdict could mean financially, examining the Premier League's payments to clubs across the relevant period. Those payments fall into six categories — Equal Share, Facility Fees, Merit Payment, International Equal Share, International Merit Payment and Central Commercial — with Facility Fees and Merit Payments determined by televised appearances and final league position.

Manchester City collected £556,883,928 in Merit Payments, more than any other club. By removing them from the standings, OLBG estimate that City could owe domestic rivals well over £500m in Premier League prize money.

London clubs alone could be due £164,021,246 under that model. Arsenal's share is estimated at £21,290,352, with Chelsea in line for £25,787,679 and Tottenham £25,540,172. West Ham, per the projection, would take the largest single package at £28,089,124.

Crucially, these are projections rather than confirmed sums. The Premier League has yet to comment on whether City have breached any of its financial rules, and should a guilty verdict be upheld, the sanction could take the form of a fine, compensation to rivals, a transfer ban, a points deduction, or a combination of those outcomes.

The groundwork for any claim has already been laid, however. The Independent has reported that Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham previously preserved their rights to claim compensation for loss of earnings under Section W of the competition rules — in effect protecting their ability to pursue legal action at a later date.

With an appeal anticipated and the sanctions process still to be completed, any resolution — financial or sporting — remains some distance away.