Mikel Arteta has backed Arsenal’s plan to eliminate as many as 60 positions, saying the club believes the move is required to support its continued pursuit of success.
The Premier League titleholders are believed to have notified employees whose roles could be affected following a consultation launched by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) before last season ended. Arsenal aim to limit the final number of redundancies and will seek alternative positions for impacted staff where possible, though some layoffs may be inevitable.
The catering and travel divisions are reportedly among those under review, while the performance and coaching teams for the men’s and women’s senior squads will remain unaffected. The academy, Arsenal Women, Arsenal in the Community, the Arsenal Foundation and on-site security departments are also excluded. However, other parts of the broader football operation are being assessed through a process internally supervised by managing director Richard Garlick.
Questions have been raised about the timing of the planned reductions after Arteta agreed a new contract last week reportedly worth more than £20m annually. Arsenal maintain that the restructuring process was already under way before the agreement was revealed, while Arteta said he was not the correct person to address questions about potential job losses.
“The club explained the review to me, including the analysis carried out across the organisation and its aim of continuing to develop and improve,” he said. “Certain choices have to be made to ensure people are placed in suitable positions and that investment continues as we work towards our ambitions and the success we want to build. That is what was communicated to me. Clearly, I am not the appropriate person to respond to those questions, and I hope everyone understands that.”
The club prevented Arteta from taking further questions about the matter. Arsenal’s latest financial statements for the 2024-25 season indicate that operating expenses increased from £148m in the previous year to £201m. Owner Kroenke Sports & Entertainment is seeking to reduce spending despite the team securing the Premier League championship in May.
Arteta played a central role in reorganising Arsenal’s medical department during the summer, when former Aston Villa doctor Arnaldo Abrantes joined the club. The manager is also thought to have strengthened his support staff in several other areas.
Arsenal visit Nottingham Forest on Sunday, beginning a sequence in which four of their next five fixtures will be played away from home. Kai Havertz is once again expected to be selected ahead of Viktor Gyökeres. The Swedish forward has not scored for Arsenal this season and endured a difficult performance against Lille in midweek after netting four times while representing his country.
“Players experience periods like this during their careers and throughout a season,” Arteta said. “We are doing everything we can to support him. In the previous match, I felt he produced several encouraging moments. On three or four occasions, he found himself in an excellent scoring position with the goalkeeper out of the picture, but the pass never reached him. That is the reality for forwards, where the difference can be extremely small. Whether a player scores inevitably changes the discussion, but it does not alter our view of how much he can contribute to the side.”
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