£2.1million – Arsenal chief’s shock salary

BONUSES ... Ivan Gazidis

ARSENAL chief Ivan Gazidis raked in £2.1million last season.

It is one of the highest sums ever paid to an English football executive.

While the Arsenal failed to win a trophy for the seventh season in a row, the Gunners’ chief executive saw his pay package swell by 24 per cent to £2.15m in 2011-12.

Of that huge total, £1.366m was basic salary with a bonus of £675,000, benefits of £9,000 and pension contributions of £100,000.

Most clubs are yet to file accounts for last season but in 2010-11 Chelsea paid £2.155m to ALL their directors.

The highest paid – believed to be chief exec Ron Gourlay – received ‘only’ £917,000.

Manchester United’s highest paid director in 2010-11, chief executive David Gill, enjoyed a package of £2.067m.

The only Premier League executive who earned more in 2010-11 than Gazidis did last season was Manchester City’s Garry Cook, who trousered £2.204m.

Gazidis can at least point to impressive financial results.

Arsenal announced last week that they had made a pre-tax profit of £36.6m in 2011-12 – thanks to a £26.1m transfer surplus when they sold Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri.