Published 16:56 IST, April 14th 2020
Arsenal players reject 12.5 % pay cut as club struggles amid coronavirus lockdown
Arsenal players reportedly reject a 12.5 percent pay cut amounting to almost £25m as the club struggles to pay staff amid the ongoing coronavirus lockdown.
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The decision to suspend the Premier League and other European competitions has put an increased financial strain on English clubs to keep their books in order. The likes of Liverpool, Newcastle, Norwich City and Tottenham Hotspur had announced decisions to furlough certain members of non-playing staff to balance the books. However, Liverpool and Tottenham reversed those decisions and opted to pay their staff in full after facing flak from their respective group of supporters.
Also Read | Premier League Pay Cut: Stars Seek Legal Advice From Lawyers Amid 30% Wage Cut Proposals: Report
Premier League pay cut update: Arsenal
Arsenal players pay cut plan rejected by Gunners stars
The Times say #Arsenal players will only accept an offer to defer wages to ease the financial predicament facing the club after rejecting a pay cut yesterday. The squad voted to reject a proposal that would result in them taking a 12.5% reduction in pay over the next 12 months.
— Gurjit (@GurjitAFC) April 14, 2020
Arsenal are also under pressure to remain financially stable amid the coronavirus pandemic. Arsenal had earlier proposed a deal to the first-team squad asking them to take a 12.5 percent pay cut in order to ensure that the club could pay their non-playing staff. The players unanimously voted against this proposal as the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) urged them to take a strong stance against club officials regarding a Premier League pay cut. The proposal from Arsenal also included an incentive which meant any player who agreed to the Premier League pay cut and then signed a new deal in the near future would receive the 12.5 percent balance back as well as their new salary. Another clause in the proposal from Arsenal stated that any player sold in the next transfer window after the end of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic would receive the amount of the wage cut back in full.
Coronavirus in UK
Death count continues to rise in the UK as NHS workers tackle the coronavirus pandemic
As of 9am 13 April, 367,667 tests have concluded, with 14,506 tests on 12 April.
— Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) April 13, 2020
290,720 people have been tested of which 88,621 tested positive.
As of 5pm on 12 April, of those hospitalised in the UK who tested positive for coronavirus, 11,329 have sadly died. pic.twitter.com/AijH4hfOV1
16:56 IST, April 14th 2020