The London club announced this week that it would lay off 55 people from its administrative and commercial staff. Among the people leaving the club, it is striking to see the names of the UK scoutings Brian McDermott and Peter Clark and the international scouting Francis Cigigao.

In a statement sent by Arsenal’s head of football Raul Sanllehi, it is indicated that the decision to let this staff go is due to the financial problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the drop in broadcast revenues.

This announcement has aroused the players’ annoyances since, in May, they had reached an agreement with the club to cut their salary by 12.5 percent so that Arsenal would not have to make any layoffs. The deal was later renegotiated to a 7.5 pay cut thanks to Arsenal’s qualification to the UEFA Europa League.

Hector Bellerin expressed his concern about this measure in a Zoom call he had with Prince William, Bellerin said: “We got many messages from the staff who now feel safe. They know they can still work & be paid. We found something positive in it and I feel like that’s got us together as a family. The feeling is very different now with some many redundancies.”

Former Arsenal star and legend Ian Wright is concerned this move will cause an internal fracture in the club’s dynamics. Wright expressed his annoyance with the club’s board in a tweet that read: “Remember who you are, what you are and who you represent !!!”

The players requested to meet with the club bosses to understand the situation and clarify what is happening.