It would certainly appear that Arsenal are using the coronavirus crisis to try and reduce costs all round at the club, and it was revealed by the Mail just a couple of weeks ago that the Gunners had decided not to renew the contracts of their local scouts in the UK.
Considering that the academy has always been a major part of the club and always needs new blood coming through to keep the supply of new young stars to nurture through to the first team, that would seem like a false ecomony, as one gem found could earn untold millions for the Gunners in the future.
Now it has been revealed in an exclusive report in the Mirror that they are now cutting a swathe of our overseas scouts as well. They reported….
Arsenal are culling several senior continental scouts in another round of cuts.
The Gunners have informed a number of their spies who are working abroad that their employment will be terminated.
The move comes just days after it was revealed that the financial pressure at the Emirates had resulted in ten part-time academy scouts losing their roles at the club.
It seems that letters have already been sent out to the scouts, some of which are at a senior level and have acted for Arsenal for many years. The report continued….
And it now appears the belt-tightening extends as far as those looking to recruit at first-team level in overseas markets.
Those concerned received letters this week confirming that their employment was being terminated.
In some instances, those with almost two decades’ service to the club were offered just one month’s money by way of a pay-off.
This is a very worrying development for me, as it seems to indicate that the club really has no money to spend, despite being owned by the multi-billionaire Stan Kroenke.
The question now is where are we going to get our future stars from if we have no scouting network?
I did try and tell people a while ago, we have no money, we have overspent to try and get CL football and failed. Im sure we are not the only club financially embarrassed in this country or others for that matter but it is damning that we have let this club get in this position. The previous regime of wenger and Gazidis started the decline and it has been carried on by the present incumbents of the club. We are not a big club anymore, not that we were as big as some tried to make out but poor decisions over the last 6 years are killing this club slowly but surely.
Talk about mismanagement of a sporting club. If you can’t afford to buy ready made quality international players and you divest yourself of a scouting network to identify players with potential, “quo vadis” – where do you go as a football club?
How many scouts do you get for £300k+ per week?
Fairly easy to criticize anyone for failing through these media reports. Try putting up yourself in the same position as them , i doubt if you all will do any better.Have an undying support and commitment to your club and one day the rewards will pour in.
Arsenal is shooting herself in the legs.
Not sure if the scouts in question are any good. Maybe the club wants to replace with better scouts. Not sure if letting them go is a bad decision but letting Mislintat go was surely a horrendous one.
I think you have just answered your own question.