Arsenal’s players have turned down the latest proposal aimed at slashing the club’s wage bill during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Executives and players have been looking to secure some sort of agreement during negotiations over the past fortnight, which would allow the London club to lessen their financial outlay while football is suspended.
The idea of a 12.5 per cent wage cut – which would last for a year – was put to the senior squad, with Arsenal making it clear to the players that the financial situation at the club would be graved should the campaign not be completed or if it were to be finished behind closed doors.
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There were incentives included in the offer, which includes one that stated the players would be paid in full should they secure a Champions League place next season.
Had that offer been accepted, it would have seen the gunners cut around £25 million from their annual £230m wage bill. It was, however, met with scepticism by the team with the club currently sitting ninth in the League.
A vote was held on the offer among the squad on Monday and it was been turned down.
For the proposal to have been given go-ahead, it would have needed the support of 75% of the players, but it is believed that while some agreed to the cuts, the figure was nowhere near enough for it to be accepted.
The decision comes after the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) advised players to turn down all offers of wage cuts during the crisis, saying that only offers of deferrals should be considered.
There is an understanding at the club that the players are open to the option of deferring part of their wages to help lessen the financial burden on them, especially if that would help to keep all non-playing staff in their jobs throughout this crisis.
But there is a sense of distrust that the ownership may be using this as a way to slash a wage bill that has become problematic after three years outside of the Champions League.
Last summer Josh Kroenke – son of owner Stan – responded to fans criticism over a lack of action in the market by singling out the problem of player wages.
“It’s no secret that we have a Champions League wage bill on a Europa League budget right now,” he said in a letter obtained by The Press Association. “That’s a fact. And one that we’re figuring out how to face internally at the moment.”
Negotiations with the players – which have so far been held through PFA representative Hector Bellerin – will now continue with the aim of finding a workable solution
