Arsenal get transfer boost before Andrea Berta rebuild as £200m UEFA payment revealed

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Andrea Berta will be expected to significantly bolster Mikel Arteta's squad this summer, with UEFA paying out £200m (€233m) to participating clubs. The European football governing body has announced that a record fee was distributed from the UEFA EURO 2024 Club Benefits Programme.

The initiative has compensated 901 clubs from all 55 participating national associations for allowing players to represent their countries at the UEFA Nations League (2020/21 and 2022/23), UEFA Nations League, European Qualifiers (2022–24) and UEFA EURO 2024.

UEFA has revealed that £86m (€100m) was reserved for the release of players to the UEFA Nations League (2020/21 and 2022/23) and the European Qualifiers to UEFA EURO 2024. Of which, £80m (€93m) was distributed, with the remaining £6m (€7m) set aside for the next cycle.

The allocation for the previous cycle was £60m (€70m). UEFA has announced that £120m (€140m) – up from £112m (€130m) –was reserved for the release of players to the UEFA EURO 2024 tournament, with the funds going to 196 clubs from 29 UEFA national associations.

From a tenth division side in Yorkshire to Arsenal, lots of clubs across the football pyramid received funds from UEFA. The Gunners were awarded £3.34m (€3.89m), while Chelsea raked in £2.25m (€2.62m) and Tottenham Hotspur collected £1.52m (€1.77m).

Commenting on the payments, UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin said: "It is fantastic to see clubs of all sizes and levels, across the entire football pyramid, receiving financial rewards for their vital role in developing players who contribute to the success of our national team competitions - including the highly successful UEFA EURO 2024 final tournament.

"Every success of our competitions is a shared one, and this benefits programme is another testament to that principle, recognising the dedication of those who work tirelessly to make European football the greatest sport in the world. When football thrives, everyone benefits."

Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, Chairman of the ECA, said: "I am very pleased to see that more than 900 clubs from all corners of Europe have benefited from this unprecedented distribution under the Club Benefits Programme, which is a key pillar of UEFA and ECA’s Memorandum of Understanding.

"This initiative recognises that clubs play a vital role in the ongoing success of national team football through developing, employing and releasing players; and also that the national team game, in turn, drives the development of clubs and their communities.

"This harmonious relationship perfectly reflects the great collaboration between UEFA and ECA today, driving growth, innovation and the positive development of European football in the interests of all."

During the January transfer window, Mikel Arteta regularly called on higher-ups at the Emirates Stadium to strengthen his squad. Despite publicly asking for reinforcements on several occasions, his requests fell on deaf ears, and Arsenal crashed out of the Premier League title race.

With some extra cash at the Gunners' disposal, Berta will be expected to put it to good use. The summer transfer window will open for English top flight clubs on June 1 before briefly closing again on June 10.

Once the FIFA Club World Cup has finished, it will then reopen on on June 16 and finally close on September 1...

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