• ! ! ! IMPORTANT MESSAGE ! ! !

    Discussions about police investigations

    In light of recent developments about a player from Premier League being arrested and until there is an official announcement, ALL users should refrain from discussing or speculating about situations around personal off-pitch matters related to any Arsenal player. This is to protect you and the forum.

    Users who disregard this reminder will be issued warnings and their posts will get deleted from public.

Francis Cagigao Sacked

Status
Not open for further replies.

Mrs Bergkamp

Double Dusted
Dusted 🔻
The players have been conned.
Send Sokratis and Kola to get in little Raul's face and see if he has a reasonable explanation. The only good thing about this is that the players have a lot of good will with which to twist the board's arm which I hope will ultimately benefit the club.
 

squallman

Still Pining for Wenger
Well right now the club is losing money. Losses are greater than profits. We can’t let Özil go because he’a on a contract. Permanent employees can be let go.

That is partly our own fault too. We're more dependent on matchday revenue than all the other top clubs because of our piss poor transfer dealings.

Our owner is a billionaire. The small amount that we're saving by doing this won't make a difference. Its just unadulterated greed.
 

Manberg

Predator
That is partly our own fault too. We're more dependent on matchday revenue than all the other top clubs because of our piss poor transfer dealings.

Our owner is a billionaire. The small amount that we're saving by doing this won't make a difference. Its just unadulterated greed.

The wage structure is entirely broken and fans/pundits placing pressure on the board to “keep X player at all costs” share responsibility for that. The moment the bank’s broken for one player, others would see themselves as deserving of the same.
 

Kav

Established Member
Apart from the poor optic of it all. I’m particularly concerned about the dismantling of our scouting network.

if money is an issue, especially in these times. Is it not wiser to identify young and easily attainable talent than to buy players at a premium from other clubs?

I think Raul is being lazy and do not understand football. He understands business and knows how to deal with h agents so he’s reverting to his comfort zone.

we should always have a strong scouting network. Refreshing and restructuring should be done when necessary and from time to time but wholesale dismantling is a problem.

My sources tell me that the club has been slowly dismantling the scouting network for a year now. This is troubling.

lastly I recall saying that this would potentially backfire if the club made the wrong moves and true to form the ****housery happened.
 

Flying Okapis

Most Well-Known Member
This isn't some mom and pop shop. We're owned by a billionaire and are one of the wealthiest clubs on the planet.

Should we just fire John and Jo, two working stiffs while our owner made 300M during the pandemic?

This entire pandemic is exposing how we as a society care more about corporations that make millions rather our neighbour (I'm not talking about you right now). Who cares if a company only made 400m instead of 500m this quarter? That doesn't justify putting people on the breadline.

Yes yes, the old excuse of its a business and has to maximise profits etc etc. But that doesn't mean I will defend it or justify it.

Rubbish, no one would care if this was Mustafi/Özil or who should we go with; Bendtner, Denilson when they were here.

It doesnt matter if the owner is a billionaire the club is a business, you cant just pay people for the sake of it, if your job is no longer required it needs to be cut.

People blaming Raul and Edu getting rid of the scouts, what you think Arteta wasnt involved in this? But that wouldnt fit the agenda would it, what if Arteta didnt see the need for Cagigao to remain at the club, are we still saying its wrong..?
 

grange

Losing my brain cells 🥸

Country: USA

Player:Havertz
This guy has been associated with the club since 1988 with brief stints elsewhere which is probably a decade at least before most of those who post here were even born. Wrestling trolls who never leave their nan's basement trying to become successful video game streamers are slagging off a true accomplished professional, who has brought in players who have won trophies for this club, just for the lulz. We have some of the saddest fans in the world.
 
Last edited:

Manberg

Predator
We don’t know what Arteta’s position on all this is. I’d really like to hear from him about it for assurances.
 

Manberg

Predator
The club has learned through the whole emirates era project that long term visions do not work in football, where the environment constantly changes. You have to have a short term approach and keep changing it for the better.
 

squallman

Still Pining for Wenger
The club has learned through the whole emirates era project that long term visions do not work in football, where the environment constantly changes. You have to have a short term approach and keep changing it for the better.

We just had a bad long term vision. If my plan is to cook rice and chicken and I burn the rice. Does that mean cooking rice doesn't work? No, that just means I burned the rice.

No one at the club saw the writing on the wall with Chelsea or City inflating prices. Planning for today with no regard for tomorrow with regards to player recruitment will leave us like Inter and AC Milan.

A business that plans only for today won't be open very long.
 

Mrs Bergkamp

Double Dusted
Dusted 🔻
That is partly our own fault too. We're more dependent on matchday revenue than all the other top clubs because of our piss poor transfer dealings.

Our owner is a billionaire. The small amount that we're saving by doing this won't make a difference. Its just unadulterated greed.
It's not just poor transfer dealings. People forget that Gazidis was meant to improve our sponsorship deals. He failed woefully in that respect and then turned his attention to the playing squad :(
 

squallman

Still Pining for Wenger
It's not just poor transfer dealings. People forget that Gazidis was meant to improve our sponsorship deals. He failed woefully in that respect and then turned his attention to the playing squad :(

I forgot to mention that in my post but you're 100% right. I can't think of a single club that was successful lurching from one direction to the next.

City had a long term plan from 2008. You could see it in how the quality of the players they brought in kept on improving as their standing in the league increased. They also improved the infrastructure around the club. Their sponsorship deals (illegally) improved too.
 

Mrs Bergkamp

Double Dusted
Dusted 🔻
I forgot to mention that in my post but you're 100% right. I can't think of a single club that was successful lurching from one direction to the next.

City had a long term plan from 2008. You could see it in how the quality of the players they brought in kept on improving as their standing in the league increased. They also improved the infrastructure around the club. Their sponsorship deals (illegally) improved too.
Exactly and they got the better ex Barca suits too. They put things in place awaiting the arrival of Pep seven years before he got there! Gazidis won his power struggle with Wenger in 2016. A year later, he hadn't identified his replacement abd a year after that he got the wrong man before scurrying away to destroy AC Milan. This lack of direction stems from Kroenke appointing the wrong people continuously hence our decline. We have too many lacking a long term vision allied with the ability to be flexible in the present.
 

A_G

Rice Rice Baby 🎼🎵
A-M CL Draft Campeón 🏆
Arsenal players intend to speak with the club about the decision to make 55 members of staff redundant.

When the majority of players agreed to a 12.5 per cent pay cut in April, they did so on the understanding that it would preserve jobs for other staff. There is considerable frustration and disappointment among the squad at the decision to let go around 10 per cent of the club’s permanent staff, with certain players keen to raise the issue with the hierarchy.

As well as the unfolding coronavirus crisis, Arsenal’s statement cited “investment in the team” as one of the primary factors in the decision. There is a fear that new signings and players agreeing future contract renewals may consequently appear responsible for the redundancies.

Here, The Athletic explains what has unfolded at Arsenal in the last 24 hours.

What’s happened?

Arsenal have announced 55 redundancies. With 590 current permanent and full-time contracted staff, that represents almost 10 per cent of personnel.

Some individuals received calls on Wednesday morning to explain they would be let go. The majority of Arsenal staff were part of a conference call in the afternoon, in which the head of football Raul Sanllehi and the managing director Vinai Venkatesham explained both the decision and the process. The players were informed separately, as were Mikel Arteta and his coaching staff.

More individuals will be notified of their redundancy in the coming days. As of last night, several Arsenal employees told The Athletic they were still in the dark as to whether their department would be affected.

The redundancies are part of a wider strategy of financial streamlining. On the conference call, it was explained that certain staff benefits such as private health cover would remain, others would be changing. Previously, depending on the level of employment, some staff received complimentary season tickets or could choose to opt out and receive money to the value of the tickets. That was suspended during the COVID-19 shutdown and is now stopping completely.

Similarly, those whose contract entitled them to a pension contribution of 10 per cent from the club will see that reduced to 7.5 per cent and if you are a new joiner, that contribution from the club will now only be 5 per cent.

Who are the key staff that have been let go by the club — and how significant an impact will their exits have?

While the majority of the redundancies will be in commercial and administrative departments, some staff are being let go from football roles.

The scouting department has been dramatically affected. Head of international scouting Francis Cagigao is to leave the club, as are Peter Clark (head of UK scouting) and Brian McDermott. They are the three most senior figures in Arsenal’s first-team scouting department.

Cagigao, who is credited with spotting the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Hector Bellerin, has been with the club for 24 years. His departure comes at the end of the season in which several players identified by his department have impressed. Gabriel Martinelli’s signing was the consequence of a prolonged scouting operation while Kieran Tierney was watched for five years at Celtic. Emi Martinez, another signed under Cagigao’s jurisdiction, has also come good.

Clark was appointed as head of UK scouting two years ago, having previously been Cagigao’s scout in Germany. It was during that period he was credited with identifying the young Serge Gnabry. McDermott was a trusted lieutenant of the department and has a long association with the club dating back to his own playing days.

It remains to be seen how these personnel will be replaced, although some sources have suggested the club intend to make internal appointments. Other members of the scouting department await their fate, with another round of calls scheduled for Thursday morning.

Losing senior scouts in the early stages of a crucial transfer window appears far from ideal. However, Arsenal believe their transfer activity in the current window will be largely unaffected as plans are already in place.

The Athletic also understands that first-team rehabilitation coordinator Tim Parham is to leave the club. Parham had followed fellow Australian Darren Burgess from Port Adelaide to Arsenal in 2018.

How have Arsenal found themselves in a financial position where they need to make redundancies?

Like many businesses across all industries, Arsenal are suffering the economic impact of COVID-19. It has become clear those repercussions will affect the club in the long-term. Arsenal are more reliant on match-day revenue than some of their competitors.

In 2018-19, Arsenal’s match-day revenue was £96.4 million — 24.33 per cent of overall revenue, the highest percentage in the Premier League. Consequently, the fact that there will be no fans in stadiums until at least October is a major concern. There are also fears that more rebates may be due to broadcasters and that the commercial market is unlikely to substantially improve.

Consequently, Arsenal feel they need to cut costs and ensure the organisation is operating efficiently in the new financial reality. All departments are being assessed. An Arsenal statement explained: “It is now clear that we must reduce our costs further to ensure we are operating in a sustainable and responsible way, and to enable us to continue to invest in the team.”

Owner Stan Kroenke has a vast personal fortune, so inevitably, the question is raised as to whether he could simply cover Arsenal’s costs. Kroenke has however just helped refinance a £200 million debt on Arsenal’s stadium move, reducing the payment terms, so has already made moves to alleviate the financial pressure on this club through this difficult period. Arsenal also want the club to be self-sustainable, to ensure they are compliant with whatever form of Financial Fair Play emerges from the current crisis.

Is it as simple as blaming COVID-19 for the redundancies or are other issues brewing behind the scenes?

The changes on the scouting side are indicative of a shift in Arsenal’s approach to recruitment. Since the start of last year, former head of recruitment Sven Mislintat, StatDNA founder Jaeson Rosenfeld now Cagigao have all left the club. Head of football Sanllehi and technical director Edu have a more contact-led approach to transfer business.

Over the past year, members of the analytics team and the scouting department have both felt sidelined from the recruitment process — and some sources felt that these changes were inevitable. They follow significant cuts to academy scouting, which has undergone a major audit by Edu and the academy head Per Mertesacker.

The facts that these cuts are happening is undoubtedly a consequence of COVID-19. The identity of some of the individuals involved is indicative of a strategic shift.

How long have these redundancies been planned? And did the decision happen at Kroenke Sports & Entertainment or in north London?

When Arsenal asked their players to take a 12.5 per cent pay cut in April — which has since reduced to 7.5 per cent in light of qualification for the Europa League — they did so hoping it would spare all jobs. However, there was also an acceptance that the fall out of COVID-19 was likely to be long-term and unpredictable. Unfortunately, Arsenal’s forecasts have convinced them this step is necessary. The decision was a recommendation made by the UK executive team, led by Venkatesham and Sanllehi.

The LA Rams, the NFL team the Kroenkes own in America, have not yet made any cutbacks.

Would Arsenal have been able to avoid this if Mesut Özil had taken a cut to his £350,000-a-week wages?

The redundancies are expected to save Arsenal several million pounds and a contribution from Özil would doubtless have gone some way towards covering that amount. However, The Athletic understands that the reason Özil and others were sceptical of the pay cut is that they felt more detail was required on the conditions and repercussions of such a decision.

Sources close to some of Arsenal’s players indicated that they would likely be feeling “betrayed” by yesterday’s announcement.

For the club’s part, they believe these changes are needed to take place irrespective of any salary cut to playing staff. They regard it as ensuring the club is in the best possible position to cope with the new economic landscape.

Will this stop Arsenal from pushing through their planned move for Willian?

No. The Brazilian is expected to join and the fact he is out of contract is seen as a way of adding an experienced quality player to the squad without parting with a transfer fee. Other clubs made better financial offers to Willian and Arsenal’s is likely to be heavily based around performance and success-related incentives.

Beyond Willian, how will other transfer plans be altered by this decision?

Arsenal’s plans for the window were set when they qualified for the Europa League by winning the FA Cup. The strategy that was in place on Sunday morning remains in place now. These redundancies are not expected to alter things: the targets have been identified and in some instances, negotiations have been under way for some time. They are primarily looking to strengthen in central midfield and central defence.

How will it impact the negotiations with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang over a contract extension?

Talks with Aubameyang are ongoing. The club’s focus is on diverting as much resource as possible to the first team in order to fund success on the field.

Arsenal need to be back in the Champions League — for sporting reasons but also for financial ones. They regard recruiting and keeping top talent as integral to getting back there.

Could Arsenal not just have sold one surplus player to cover the difference?

Perhaps but again, Arsenal’s position is that these changes needed to be made to safeguard the future of the club and ensure maximum efficiency in all departments. There has also been a decision to prioritise fulfilling the sporting ambition of the club.

Will other Premier League sides have to take similar steps in the future? If not, why Arsenal?

It remains to be seen whether other clubs will take similar action. As yet, no club has followed Arsenal in taking a definitive wage cut.

The club has dealt with considerable financial strain of late. Josh Kroenke has described the club as having a “Champions League wage bill on a Europa League budget” and the salary cut was an attempt to bring that problem under some measure of control. Arsenal are also losing a large proportion of their revenue due to playing behind closed doors. If the situation were to persist until December, Vysyble estimate it could end up costing the club as much as £59.57 million.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts+

Top Bottom