Arsenal's wage bill for 2024/25 was £33.8million more than Manchester United's, it has been revealed. The Gunners released their annual report for the year on Wednesday afternoon, in which it was confirmed that player wages had increased to £346.8m last season.

That's also a marked increase from a wage bill of some £327.8m the season before. For context, the Red Devils held a total wage bill of £313m for 2024/25 as the club settled for a sub-par 15th-place finish in the Premier League to Arsenal's second. However, it would be unfair to suggest that player compensation was the only factor in both clubs' respective positioning in the league table last May.

Ruben Amorim failed to properly utilise the squad he inherited from Erik ten Hag in November 2024, persistent in his 3-4-2-1 formation and playing a number of players out of position - Amad operating as a wingback, for example, rather than in a fully attacking role which had historically proven far more fruitful.

The Portuguese tactician continued to do so in 2025/26, before he was ultimately sacked in January. Mikel Arteta, meanwhile, was able to continue to build on the squad he had carefully curated since his arrival in 2019, player injury potentially being one of the only things which cost him his first Premier League title to Liverpool.

Elsewhere, Arsenal's wage bill for 2024/25 was also £61.6m less than Manchester City's, who finished third in the English top flight last season. It comes as Arsenal posted an overall loss of £1.4m for 2024/25 on Wednesday afternoon, despite seeing a record revenue of £691m.

EXPRESS SPORT ON FB!Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page

Despite this, they saw a major improvement on the £17.1m loss recorded for the year on May 31, 2024. It's also a positive gain on the £52.1m loss Arsenal Holdings Limited posted from May 31, 2023.

As things stand, the Gunners are set to clinch their first Premier League title in more than two decades at the end of the current campaign, five points clear of Pep Guardiola's Sky Blues at the top of the table heading into their last 10 matches.

The club has also seen a wealth of success in Europe, finishing first in the league phase of the Champions League and heading straight into the knockout stages as a result.

Ensure our latest sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings.

Manchester United, meanwhile, have also enjoyed a fruitful season - especially since the arrival of Michael Carrick on an interim basis until the summer in January.

The 44-year-old is unbeaten since his arrival at Old Trafford, leading the Red Devils to wins over Manchester City, Arsenal, Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur, and Everton, as well as a draw with West Ham United.

The club sit fourth in the Premier League standings with 11 matches remaining and look increasingly likely to secure Champions League football for 2026/27.