Arsenal players reject 12.5 % pay cut as club struggles amid coronavirus lockdown

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. 

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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.

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