A new formula engineered to uncover the prices Premier League clubs pay for their injuries has revealed Arsenal lost a little more than 20 million last season due to player absences, per theMail on Sunday's Alex Miller.Premier League outfits forked out just under 270 million in injury costs over the course of the 2014-15 campaign. Newcastle United paid the most of any team (25.6 million), while Arsenal's 20.2 million bill is the second-highest in England's top flight.The UEFA-recognised formula was designed by Sergei Palkin, chief executive of Ukraine giants Shakhtar Donetsk and a former accountant, who based his findings on several key factors brought on by a player injury.He found that on average, Europe's elite clubs pay 413,000 each month for each player injured. The major influences in the formula include "wages earned by injured players, the costs of treating injuries, insurance premium costs and the financial implications from fielding weakened teams in domestic and European competitions."The Gunners have fallen victim to criticism in recent years for failing to spend as much as fans might hope in the annual transfer windows, leaving their squad susceptible to potential exposure.Such has been the case this season after manager Arsene Wengerfailed to add a single senior outfield player to his ranks over the summer. Ex-Gunners hitman Ian Wright spoke to Arsenal Fan TV to give his opinion on why his former club appear so vulnerable to injuries:Danny Welbeck and Jack Wilshere have both failed to feature this term, while injuries to Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Aaron Ramsey, Tomas Rosicky and Mikel Arteta have limited options in attack and midfield.Wenger is aware of the problem and addressed the hot topic of injuries in the build-up to November's 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur in the north London derby, per Arsenal's official Twitter account:Palkin's method of testing the costs of injury can perhaps be vindicated by the fact that 2014-15 Premier League champions Chelsea paid the least of any club last season, with just 5.78 million in injury expenses.Matilda Lundblad is a doctor for Swedish club Elfsborg and is quoted in Miller's report hailing Palkin's formula as a reliable measure of how injuries can affect a club's success, not to mention its wallet:The UEFA Medical Committee now uses this figure, as do other leading medical figures working in football.The costs really highlight the importance of medical teams within clubs. The clubs with the fewest injuries in the Premier League usually end up among the top teams in the league at the end of the season.Arsenal may be regarded by many as somewhat frugal in the transfer market, but what the club saves in player fees, it appears to make up for in failing to keep players fit across the course of a season.Palkin's study only accounts for the 2014-15 Premier League campaign, but it may not be a surprise to see the Gunners jostling for biggest injury tab in past campaigns
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