Report: Arsenal players refuse to take 12.5% pay cut during stoppage

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A group of Arsenal players rejected plans to cut their salaries by 12.5% while the Premier League remains on hold, sources told The Athletic's David Ornstein and James McNicholas.

Although some players agreed to the proposal, a handful reportedly balked, wondering why they couldn't simply defer wages until the season resumes.

Last week, Southampton became the first Premier League club to announce their players would defer several months' salary during the coronavirus pandemic.

Some of Arsenal's players would prefer to defer as much as 20% of their salaries in order to ease the economic impact of the work stoppage, according to Ornstein and McNicholas. However, Arsenal would apparently expect the players to sacrifice significantly more in the interim.

In the interest of fairness, The Athletic understands the squad would like to see club executives take a similar pay cut.

Whether it's a cut or deferral, the players are reportedly asking for assurances that Arsenal would use the money they're saving to preserve the jobs of full- and part-time employees and pay them 100% of their salaries.

The Gunners see the current work stoppage as an opportunity to rework their payroll and prepare for the future with greater flexibility, according to Ornstein and McNicholas.

Arsenal recorded £394.7 million in revenue during the 2018-19 season but posted a loss of £27.1 million due to the club's extended absence from the Champions League.