Back in the heart of North London, Arsenal are causing ripples on the pitch and now it’s about Max Dowman. Latest figures show the Gunners’ first-team average weekly wage has risen to £157,000 a week. The figure places the Gunners right among the largest payers in world football.
Following is how this has arisen, what it means to the club, and where young Max Dowman’s scholarship agreement fits into the overall picture.
Big salaries for big stars at Arsenal: Max Dowman Wage
Arsenal‘s marquee-players currently take very high wages. Their highest-paid player is Kai Havertz, making around £280,000 per week. Other leading players — including Gabriel Jesus, Declan Rice and Martin Ødegaard — draw salaries between around £240,000 and £265,000 per week.
Overall, sources report the total wage-bill of the club to be approximately £184.6 million annually, which calculates to approximately £3.55 million per week for 2025-26.
What the average tells us
When the average salary is £157,000 per week at Arsenal, it says a few things:
The club is spending big on playing talent to play at the very highest level.
There is a probably wide gap between the top earners and the rest (the superstars draw the average up).
For younger players and homegrown talent, getting into that salary bracket is still the big target.
The wage outlay is all part of Arsenal’s overall plan: they are going for trophies, looking for Champions League success, and attempting to hold on to leading talent instead of being a selling club. The large salaries also represent the wider market inflation in football — salaries at numerous clubs have been escalating.
The Academy Angle and Max Dowman
Into this lucrative wage culture enters an extremely young name: 15-year-old Max Dowman has signed scholarship deals with Arsenal. Under the agreement, from when he reaches the age of 16, he will be on scholarship, with a professional contract offered when he reaches the age of 17.
Why is it important?
It demonstrates Arsenal are still serious about nurturing young players from within — even in a team where leaders can earn hundreds of thousands of pounds per week.
For Dowman himself, it means the route is open: academy to first-team is possible if he progresses nicely.
Although his first wages will be humble in comparison to those £100k+ weekly contracts, his potential long-term earnings could reach the same realm with image rights and bonuses.
Why this matters for Arsenal
From the club’s perspective, such high salaries have risks and benefits. Benefits side: you can sign and keep the best players, challenge the top European clubs, and produce performances on the field.
Risk side: expenses become huge; in case the team performs below expectations, the salary bill has a hefty price tag to pay.
Some Key Points
Financial regulations of UEFA’s and the Premier League (e.g., soft cap on wage-to-turnover) require clubs to be prudent about how much they spend in relation to revenue.
Arsenal’s wage-to-turnover is said to be one of the lower ones in the Premier League, so they are not the worst culprits — but the magnitude is still staggering.
Through the signing of youth players such as Dowman, the club is investing in long-term worth. Home-grown stars tend to be less expensive to nurture and can provide high worth. Both, on-field and possibly from future sales.
Author’s Insight
Arsenal’s weekly wage average of approximately £157,000 is breathtaking in football terms and says something: they are competing at the top level. For emerging players like Max Dowman, it means the payoff is great if they succeed. For the club, it means the risk is great — every move, every contract renegotiation, every signing counts all the more.
The balancing act is evident: continue to invest but remain sustainable; recruit the best, but continue the youth channel; pursue silverware, but monitor the books. For Arsenal fans, the expectation is that this expenditure and planning are rewarded with titles and cherishable moments. For Dowman, the aspiration is evident: step by step from youth academy to first team.
