Stan and Josh Kroenke seemed to be fixing their reputation among Arsenal fans in recent years, but they may have now gone a step backwards.

The Kroenkes have been around since 2007, initially as minority shareholders. Over the next decade, they bought out other people before gaining complete control of the club in August 2018.

During their power struggle with Alisher Usmanov, the Kroenkes came under a lot of criticism for their unwillingness to spend big money to take Arsenal to the next level.

Since their full acquisition, that has changed, and their investment in recent years to help the Gunners become one of the best clubs in the world has received a lot of praise.

However, the Arsenal owners and the board have made a decision that is sure to attract enormous criticism.

Arsenal inform staff about 60 job cuts

After a record-breaking season on and off the pitch, you would imagine that everyone at Arsenal would have some sort of security about their future at the club.

However, The Telegraph revealed that employees were directly informed this week that 60 roles at the club could be made redundant.

Although official reasons or which roles have been affected aren’t common knowledge yet, the decision appears to have come after Boston Consulting Group, a global management consulting firm, was hired to conduct strategic exercises that explore possible operational improvements.

This news comes just days after Arsenal announced a new contract for Mikel Arteta, which didn’t just make him the highest-paid manager in the club’s history but also the best-paid in the Premier League.

We’re not saying Arteta doesn’t deserve his big bucks, but an argument can be made that employees who earn a fraction of what he does should not be shown the door out of nowhere after all the commercial success Arsenal have had recently.

How much money could Arsenal save by cutting 60 jobs?

Again, there is no accurate information about the roles of the employees who could be made redundant or their respective salaries. So, it’s hard to pinpoint the exact amount Arsenal will end up saving if they go through with their plan.

However, football finance expert Kieran Maguire has revealed a generous estimate, and it shows that the Gunners will probably only end up saving around £3 million a year.

That, as Maguire explains, is around what a key player earns a few days a week.

He tweeted: “If you assume a (generous) £50,000 a year salary to those who have lost their jobs, then Arsenal will save £3 million. The average first team player earned £7.7 million in 2024/25, and likely to be much higher last season when bonuses for winning the title kicked in. So, the redundancies will fund one player’s salary for three days a week.”

Maguire further explained Arsenal’s revenues lately, which shows that the £3 million they could potentially end up saving is next to nothing in the grand scheme of things.

He added: “The club will have earned about £198m in money from the Premier League in 2025/26 and £125m from UEFA for making the Champions League. Sponsors will have paid bonuses too for the Premier League title.

“Overall revenue has increased by £319m between 2022 and 2025, and is likely to go up by a further £50m or more in 25/26.”

Maguire further highlighted that the consulting firm Arsenal have hired would’ve also charged a fee for their assessment. “They tend to do these things for money, not love,” he said.

Arsenal fans react to news that 60 employees could be sacked

Unsurprisingly, Arsenal supporters are far from happy with the news that several employees could be set to lose their jobs. Many have taken to social media to urge the Kroenkes to change their mind.

One fan tweeted: “Arsenal need to scrap this plan to make 60 staff redundant. It won’t have any significant impact on the club’s finances, those staff have contributed to the club’s success, and it makes the club look terrible on the world stage. Don’t do it!”

Another wrote: “Massive own goal. It’s sad to see, really. Just a big reminder that a faceless corporate shadow always has a hand over our game. Genuinely hope they reconsider and hope us fans can put some pressure on them to do that.”

“Terrible news and a disgraceful decision from multi-billionaire owners. Kroenke out,” said another.

Another Gooner reacted by saying: “Arsenal’s income is higher than ever, so these 60 job cuts are unwelcome. Especially considering the timing of Arteta’s new mega salary.”

“How much is this saving, let’s be honest? Might as well ask the first team to forgo one week’s wages if it saves these jobs. I bet you the players would be happy to do it,” said another.

The Arsenal owners must hang their heads in shame

Every organisation in the world has the right to make tough decisions like these, but the timing of it really does not sit right with us.

Of course, there will be reasons to justify the decision, should it actually happen, but for Arsenal to be making people redundant while they are generating more revenue than ever and are in their most successful commercial period is not right at all.

The Kroenkes have come under a lot of criticism for some of their decisions over the years, but this needs to be pushed back by the fans, just like the European Super League was.

Criticism and fan unrest back then made Stan and Josh Kroenke change their decision, and we hope the same can happen again this time around.

Either way, the Kroenkes should hang their heads in shame for even contemplating this decision, considering that it would hardly make a difference to the club’s finances when you look at the big picture.