Arsenal’s players and coaching staff have agreed a 12.5% salary cut due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Premier League club said in a statement on Monday.
Several Premier League clubs have furloughed employees since the new coronavirus outbreak while others have said their players have accepted wage deferrals, but Arsenal are the first club to announce salary reductions for players.
“Reductions of total annual earnings by 12.5% will come into effect this month, with the contractual paperwork being completed in the coming days,” Arsenal said on the club website.
Arsenal added that “agreed amounts” would be repaid if specific targets primarily linked to success on the pitch were met in the seasons ahead.
Soccer in England was suspended indefinitely last month due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.