According to an exclusive report by the Telegraph (subscription required), Arsenal have informed their players that they won’t have to take a cut to their wages should they qualify for the Champions League this season.
The Telegraph add that the club’s proposal – made in order to ease the side’s losses due to the Coronavirus pandemic – is a ‘non-starter’ with most of the squad.
Of course the report reiterates that these plans are provisional for now, given that the virus has shown no signs of slowing down after having a crippling effect on the entire world – it cannot be guaranteed at this stage that the current season will even finish.
The Telegraph add that Arsenal proposed the wage cut idea to their players this week, Southampton and West Ham have recently announced that players would be taking wage deferrals – but not cuts.
The Telegraph report that Arsenal’s wage bill stands at £230m a year, the Gunners certainly need to either get themselves back in the Champions League or cut costs having reported annual losses of £27.1m in February.
Arsenal are currently ninth in the Premier League with 40 points, though they have a game in hand over rivals except Sheffield United.
The Gunners’ game in hand is against Mikel Arteta’s former employers Manchester City, this was the first Premier League clash to be postponed due to Coronavirus fears.
Arsenal’s current position leaves them as outsiders for either Europa League or Champions League qualification this season, the Gunners’ task is difficult but not impossible.
The north London outfit have looked encouraging under former captain Arteta, but the side’s worrying form earlier in the season might prove to be costly to the team’s goals.