Arsenal to Restructure Wage Bill to Attract New Talent

Arsenal are reportedly planning to overhaul their whole wage structure so Gunners' manager Arsene Wenger can recruit "top talent", according to the club's chief executive, Ivan Gazidis, quoted in an ESPN report.

The club's top earners include Dutch striker Robin van Persie, who reportedly pockets £70,000 per week - a mere pittance compared to the salaries top players command at clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester City. It has been speculated that this disparity in wages is one reason why the Gunners' captain has not signed a new contract with the club.

The wage structure, as it stands now, is particularly unfavourable to players like van Persie and sees reserve players like goalkeeper Manuel Almunia and striker Marouane Chamakh also earn between £50,000 and £60,000 per week.

The club has finally, it seems, admitted a need to modify wage structure, particularly if they are to attract new talent. According to comments made by Gazidis, the Gunners will first look to reduce their present wage bill - standing at £23mn - by releasing several fringe players, including Almunia and Chamakh.

"We have inefficiency of spending in our squad - but we are moving towards as efficient a model as possible Our wage structure has been based around a flatter salary structure - that is part of a team ethos the manager develops, it's about interaction between players - not superstars," the Daily Mail quoted Gazidis as saying.

"But we have looked at this carefully and we have to make adjustments for top talent. They are earning a lot of money and I don't think that will slow down. We have to adjust our model," he added, according to ESPN.

The Gunners have already signed German striker Lukas Podolski, from FC Koln, on a reported wage of £100,000 per week, and will be looking to add to their squad, in order to end their seven-year trophy drought next season.

"That is what this summer is about and that is what we are focused on for next year. We have a good team, we have a good young core of players and we need everybody involved to have belief so that we can push forward into next year and make a run at the Premier League trophy and for the Champions League," Gazidis was reported by Goal.com as saying.