Mikel Arteta has been told that Arsenal's redundancies will help the club "achieve the success we want to create," after reports that the Premier League champions are set to cut 60 jobs. Chief executive Richard Garlick informed staff this week that the workforce will be reduced across several departments, though playing and coaching staff in the men's and women's teams will be unaffected. The cuts could affect up to 7% of the club's 871 permanent staff.
Arteta was recently rewarded with a new four-year deal worth as much as £20 million ($27m) a season, after overseeing Arsenal's first Premier League title since 2004. The club's turnover for the 2024-25 season was a record £691m ($920m).
Asked about the job losses ahead of Sunday's league match against Nottingham Forest, Arteta said the question was not for him. He explained that he had been briefed on the exercise and the analysis done across the club, with the intention of evolving to improve. "Some decisions have to be taken to put people in the right roles, and keep investing," he said. He took no further questions on the topic at the club's request.
Arteta also confirmed that Arsenal will retake its official squad photo after William Saliba was left out of the original image released on Thursday. The France international, who is sidelined with a back problem, was described by the club as unavailable due to a "medical appointment." Arteta said the picture had been cancelled at the last minute before, and that Saliba "is completely fine about it." Martín Zubimendi is in contention to face Forest despite an ankle injury, while Piero Hincapié will not feature.
Source: ESPN Soccer · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing