Arsenal have informed staff of plans to cut around 60 positions in a restructure that has left many inside the club uneasy just months after securing their first Premier League title in 22 years. The announcement came on Wednesday morning during a call led by chief executive Richard Garlick, following a review of operations by external consultants Boston Consulting Group that began before the club lifted the trophy in May.
The cuts target off-field roles across several departments and will not touch coaching or performance staff for the men’s or women’s teams. Academy operations, the Arsenal Foundation, community programmes and security personnel are also unaffected. A consultation process is now underway, and the club has indicated it will seek to redeploy affected employees where possible. Arsenal employ roughly 850 people in total, so the proposed reductions represent about seven per cent of the workforce.
Financial Context and Timing
Arsenal posted record revenues of £691 million for the 2024-25 financial year yet still recorded a small overall loss of £1.4 million. Operating costs rose sharply to £200.8 million, and the club is keen to maintain self-sustainability under Premier League financial rules. The redundancies form part of efforts to improve efficiency after the Boston Consulting Group audit. This marks the second significant round of job losses since Kroenke Sports & Entertainment took full ownership, the first coming in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic when 55 roles were cut.
The timing has drawn particular attention because it follows Mikel Arteta’s new four-year contract, reported to be worth around £20 million per season and making him the highest-paid manager in the league. Arteta committed his future until 2030 just a week earlier, with the club hailing the deal as a statement of long-term ambition under the Kroenke family.
Impact on Club Identity
Insiders have expressed concern that the moves risk damaging Arsenal’s traditional identity and internal culture. Similar cost-focused decisions at other clubs have sometimes led to a perception that commercial priorities overshadow the human element that supporters value. While the football department remains protected, questions are being asked about how the club balances its recent on-pitch achievements with its broader responsibilities to employees and the wider Arsenal community.
The review process itself predates the title success, but the contrast between record income, a new manager deal and proposed job losses has created an awkward narrative at a time when the club is otherwise celebrating sustained progress. Supporters will watch closely to see how the consultation unfolds and whether the final number of redundancies shifts from the initial figure of 60.