Chelsea shocked the footballing world after it was announced that Roman Abramovich has been sanctioned by the UK government, which has left huge implications on the club.
The Chelsea owner took control of the club in 2003, and has since then played a major role in their dominance in English football, which made winning trophies more difficult for Arsenal.
However, with the new sanctions placed on the Blues, it could lead to the major decline of the club on the pitch and away from it.
It will also have a major impact on the Gunners, and here is what it means for the north London side.
Transfer Market boost
Arsenal will benefit in the transfer window from Chelsea’s sanctions as it states that the club are now under an effective transfer embargo, with new loans and permanent deals banned.
Chelsea are also no longer allowed to agree on new contracts for players who are present at the club.
The Gunners are in need of a striker and a right-back this season, and Edu has been given an excellent opportunity to pinch players away from Chelsea.
One of these players is Tino Livramento, who has been thriving at Southampton this season after joining them from Chelsea in the summer.
The right-back has shown his quality and had a buy-back clause of £40m after leaving the Blues, however with the new sanctions in place, it means that this clause is no longer valid.
The Gunners need a new right-back to provide competition for Takehiro Tomiyasu, and he would certainly be an excellent acquisition.
Tammy Abraham is also another player who has a buy-back clause in his contract, which is valued at £67m after leaving Chelsea to join AS Roma in the summer.
The Gunners will be in desperate need of a striker in the summer due to the anticipated departures of Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah with their contracts on the verge of expiring.
Mikel Arteta has registered interest in the England international previously, with Fabrizio Romano reporting that Arsenal were only considering a move for Abraham last summer if they could free up space in the striker position.
Armando Broja is another Chelsea striker on loan at Southampton, and he has been linked to Arsenal in the summer with the club motoring him according to the Express.
However, with the sanctions currently in place, it means the Gunners would not be able to secure his services.
Top Four boost
Chelsea are no longer allowed to sell tickets, which means only existing season ticket holders will be able to attend matches at Stamford Bridge.
This massively declines the number of fans allowed to attend the games with the number quoted at around 25,000 season ticket holders.
Arsenal will face Chelsea once more when their Premier League fixture at Stamford Bridge is rescheduled, and with the game not being in a packed Stamford Bridge, the Gunners will fancy their chances.
Mikel Arteta’s side were victorious in an empty Stamford Bridge last season with a 1-0 victory after a fatal Jorginho mistake.
The Gunners currently sit five points with a game in hand behind Chelsea, which means by the time the game is played, Arsenal have a chance to leapfrog their London rivals, as the race for Champions League football next season reaches its final stage.
Arsenal fans cannot attend Stamford Bridge
While Chelsea fans cannot attend home games if they do not have a season ticket, it also means that away fans are also not permitted to enter the stadium.
With Chelsea still scheduled to host Arsenal in the Premier League, it means that Gooners will be unable to attend the match in person.
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