Arteta defends Arsenal plan to cut up to 60 jobs
Mikel Arteta has defended Arsenal's plan to cut up to 60 jobs, insisting the move is needed to keep the club winning.
The Arsenal manager spoke on 16 October, after staff were told that some roles are at risk. He said a detailed review of how the club works was carried out with success in mind, according to The Guardian.
The timing is striking. Arsenal won the Premier League in May. It was their first league title in more than two decades.
The review began before the end of last season. It started with a consultation process led by Boston Consulting Group. Arsenal have now informed some, but not all, of the staff whose jobs are at risk.
Catering and travel are among the departments affected. The club hope the final number of redundancies can be reduced. Wherever possible, they will try to move affected employees into other roles.
No first-team coaches will go. Arsenal say performance and coaching staff for the men's and women's first teams will not be impacted.
The academy is also exempt. So are Arsenal Women, Arsenal in the Community, the Arsenal Foundation and site security. Other parts of the wider football operation are included in the review, which was overseen internally by managing director Richard Garlick.
Money is part of the picture. Arsenal's operating costs rose from £148m to £201m in the 2024-25 accounts. The club say the restructuring started before Arteta's own future was sorted.
Arteta signed a new contract last week. It is worth more than £20m per season. Arsenal insist the two decisions are separate, with the job review already under way before the deal was announced.
Arteta said the analysis was done with the intention to evolve, improve, put people in the right roles and keep investing to create success. The medical department has already changed shape over the summer, with former Aston Villa team doctor Arnaldo Abrantes joining the club.
For fans, this will feel strange. A title-winning team is supposed to be a story of togetherness. At Arsenal, that celebration in May is now followed by an anxious wait for staff behind the scenes.
