Arsenal make considerate financial club gesture

The whole world has gone through troubles and tragedy that were unimaginable 18 months ago. What has happened across the globe has impacted those from every walk of life. Even the richest football clubs have felt the affects of the coronavirus pandemic, like Arsenal.

What people have had to deal with is entirely different. Nobody pities a football club that can afford to spend £50m on a central defender. Nobody pities Stan Kroenke for losing a few hundred million off his billion dollar worth.

But football clubs aren’t just entities that fans gather together to watch in the form of 11 well-paid players on a pitch, they’re institutions made what they are by the people who keep them running on a day-to-day basis.

In regards to the current pandemic, a lot of what Arsenal have done hasn’t sat right. Announcing 55 staff redundancies to help curb the financial impact of the pandemic was a sad state of affairs to all those affected, even if job losses were seen across the board.

Arsenal make wonderful financial club gesture to staff with 3% pay rise following the difficulties faced from the coronavirus pandemic

With talk of Arsenal going out and splashing £60m on James Maddison on top of a barmy £32m on Aaron Ramsdale, money seemingly funded by bank loans, people were irked. There was also the ‘fire trap’ incident in and around the Emirates Stadium.

What the club have decided to do, on a positive note, is reward those who’ve worked tirelessly behind the scenes to keep the club up and running over throughout the course of the pandemic. As noted by Charles Watts:

"“Arsenal have given all staff who are eligible for a pay review a 3% pay rise in recognition of their efforts to help keep things running over the past 18 months,” he revealed."

The cynical will state it’s merely to cover inflation. It may not seem like a lot to some, but that 3% can go a long way for many. It’s a nice gesture from the club for those who’ve put in outstanding effort during a hugely troubling period.

Arsenal and their owners have a long way to go before clawing back any credibility with the fans. There are many scars that will not heal.

But at least if the club can show some heart to reward those worthy, then it needs commending.