Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
WE TOOK PAY CUTS TO STOP JOB CUTS
Frustrated Gunners stars want urgent talks with chiefs as the club faces a backlash over redundancies
ARSENAL’S senior players want talks with the club’s hierarchy after the news that 55 members of staff are to be made redundant.
The FA Cup-winning stars want to know why jobs are being slashed when the squad agreed in April to a 12.5 per cent pay cut – reduced to 7.5 per cent following Europa League qualification.
That action, the players believed, would avert such a nightmare scenario. Instead, the Gunners are enduring a backlash with Ian Wright warning the club feelings are running high over the issue.
“Remember who you are, what you are and who you represent!!!” said a message from his Twitter account, accompanied by three upset emojis (below).
Some of the club’s players are understood to have made contact with those affected by the proposed cuts. Arsenal made the announcement on Wednesday and pointed to the effects of Covid-19 on finances as the reason for the move.
In a statement issued by the club’s head of football Raul Sanllehi and managing director Vinai Venkatesham, they pointed to severe drops in broadcast revenue.
Transfer business will remain unaffected, however, with the club set to sign free-agent Willian on a £150,000-a-week, read: “With the expected reduction of income in mind, it is now clear we must reduce our costs further to ensure we are operating in a sustainable and responsible way, and to enable us to continue to invest in the team. “Our aim has been to protect the jobs and base salaries of our people for as long as we possibly can. “Unfortunately, we have
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Arsenal newsletter where we are proposing 55 redundancies.” It has left the mood in stark contrast to the optimism surrounding the Emirates in June when the players three-year deal with the option of a fourth and a sizeable signing-on fee – something Chelsea refused to give him as he turns 32 this weekend.
Arsenal are also willing to hand topscorer and FA Cup hero Pierre-emerick Aubameyang, 31, a lucrative new contract extension to remain at the club beyond the final year of his deal.
A statement relating to the redundancies believed the wage cuts had led to a brighter future for the staff.
On a Zoom call with Prince William, Hector Bellerin (left) said: “Not just me, but I’m sure Auba and other players and coaches, got many messages from the staff who now feel safe. They know they can still work and be paid. We found something positive in it and I feel like that’s got us together as a family.”
The feeling is very different now with departures set to come from the commercial and administrative departments.
While eye-catching exits from the club’s football side include head of international scouting Francis Cagigao, head of UK scouting Peter Clark, and scout Brian Mcdermott.