Arteta says Arsenal linked 60 job cuts to plans for future success

Mikel Arteta says Arsenal presented their decision to cut 60 jobs as part of efforts to improve the club and support future success, according to BBC Sport. The manager was responding after chief executive Richard Garlick informed employees this week that the club would reduce its workforce across several departments, with the planned redundancies confined to off-field positions.

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The cuts could affect up to 7% of Arsenal's 871 permanent staff, the BBC reported. Coaching and performance personnel working with both the men's and women's teams will be unaffected. The Arsenal Foundation, Arsenal in the Community and the club's security staff are also excluded from the reductions, distinguishing those areas from the departments facing job losses.

Speaking at a news conference ahead of Arsenal's visit to Nottingham Forest on Sunday, Arteta initially indicated that questions about the redundancies should be directed elsewhere. He then said the club had explained the review and its analysis to him as an exercise intended to help Arsenal develop and improve, while maintaining that he was not the appropriate person to give a full answer.

Arteta said the explanation involved placing people in suitable roles and continuing investment in pursuit of the club's ambitions. BBC Sport reported that an external company had conducted a workforce review and that the process was already under way before Arsenal won the Premier League. The staffing decision therefore follows an assessment that began before that sporting success.

The announcement also comes a week after Arteta received a new four-year contract. He had led Arsenal to last season's Premier League title, their first since 2004. According to the BBC, his new agreement included an increase on a previous annual salary of £10m, with a further £5m in bonuses under that earlier arrangement.

Arsenal's financial results provide further context for the staffing changes. In February, the club announced record revenue of £691m for the 2024-25 financial year but an overall loss of £1.4m. Those accounts also showed operating costs of £200.8m, up from £147.9m a year earlier, according to BBC Sport's report.