According to The Telegraph, Arsenal staff have been told the club is planning up to 60 redundancies as part of a cost-cutting programme. The proposals appear to follow an audit by consultants BCG.
CEO Richard Garlick shared the news this morning, confirming that the football department, The Arsenal Foundation and the security department would be exempt from the cuts.
It is the second round of large-scale redundancies since KSE took full ownership of Arsenal, although the circumstances are very different.
In 2020, the club made 55 staff redundant amid the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic, despite first-team players and coaches agreeing to a temporary 12.5% wage cut just months earlier. The timing angered supporters, while the departure of Jerry Quy, the man behind Gunnersaurus, became a particularly unpopular symbol of the decision.
There is never a good time to announce job losses, but this news will raise plenty of questions. Arsenal have posted record revenues, won their first league title in 22 year and handed the manager a £20 million new deal, yet staff are now facing the prospect of losing their livelihoods.
The club is believed to employ around 850 people across its football and corporate operations. If that estimate is accurate, the proposed redundancies would reduce the workforce by roughly 7%.
Executives will no doubt argue that the cuts are necessary to support Arsenal’s continued growth and move towards financial self-sustainability. Despite the progress on and off the pitch, the club continues to operate at a loss, which will presumably be central to its case for further savings.
Wages remain the biggest annual expense, with a bill of £346.8 million reported in the results to May 2025. Operating costs have also risen sharply. Exactly what accounts for the £200 million spent in that category last year is unclear, but an increase of £126.7 million over three years is not a pace the club will want to sustain.
Arsenal are far from alone in operating at a loss. The Independent Football Regulator’s draft State of the Game report, published yesterday, found that 94% of clubs across England’s top five divisions were loss-making despite combined revenues of around £9 billion last season. It highlighted rising costs and dependence on owner funding, a reminder that bringing in more money does not necessarily mean a club is financially healthy. That provides some context for the scrutiny of Arsenal’s spending, although the club still needs to explain why these particular jobs have been identified for cuts.
Changes in demand and ways of working may form part of the thinking. New technology, including greater use of AI, can reduce the time needed for routine tasks and, in some cases, remove the need for certain roles. Whether that is a factor in these proposals, and which jobs might be affected, remains unclear. If it is the case, you can be sure the rest of the world will catch up soon enough, whether we like it or not.
For staff waiting to find out what this means for them, the uncertainty will be deeply unsettling. There will be difficult conversations taking place around the Emirates, and those affected deserve clear communication and proper support throughout the process. We wish everyone facing the loss of their job the very best.