Arsenal face staff morale concerns as Gyokeres told he will '100% be sold' before next season

Arsenal’s positive run of form — they drew level with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League after a 2-0 win over Everton at the Emirates on Saturday — has been overshadowed by two off-field stories raising questions about the club’s direction.

Staff cuts and Arteta’s new deal draw criticism

Former Aston Villa chief executive Keith Wyness has publicly criticised Arsenal’s decision to announce up to 60 redundancies just days after confirming Mikel Arteta’s contract extension, calling the timing “disastrous” and warning of significant discontent within the club.

Arteta’s new deal, which runs until June 2030, was confirmed on 7 October and includes a reported salary of £10 million per year plus bonuses of up to £5 million annually. A week later, Arsenal announced the job cuts following a review conducted by an external company.

“It is a bad look, and I think it could have been avoided,” Wyness said on the Inside Track podcast. “They’ve obviously been in discussions with Mikel and his team for quite a while. They’ve obviously also been handling these redundancies and looking at the cost reductions for a while. So they’ve had time to think about this, and to bring them out so close together — while they’re not related — it’s just a very bad look.”

Wyness added that the optics were particularly damaging given how much clubs rely on non-playing staff. “There’ll be a lot of moaning internally about the way it’s done. Had it been two or three months apart, the whole thing wouldn’t have looked connected.”

Gyokeres ‘will 100% be sold’, says Agbonlahor

On the transfer front, former Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor has claimed that Sporting CP forward Viktor Gyokeres will “100% be sold” before the start of next season, having reportedly failed to secure a move away from Lisbon in the summer.

Gyokeres has been consistently linked with a number of Europe’s top clubs, including Arsenal, after a prolific run of form in Portugal. Agbonlahor’s comments will add fresh fuel to speculation that the Swedish international’s time at Sporting is drawing to a close.

Gunners face busy week on the pitch

Despite the noise off the field, Arsenal’s focus this week turns to a Carabao Cup fourth-round trip to League Two side Fleetwood Town on Tuesday, before a Premier League visit to Anfield to face Liverpool on Sunday.

Arteta’s side climbed level on points with City after goals from Ezri Konsa and Gabriel secured all three points against Everton, with City having earlier slipped to a 2-1 defeat at Villa Park under Enzo Maresca.