Arsenal's Head of Recruitment to Leave Amid 55 Planned Redundancies

 Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, pictured in July. Photograph: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty Images
Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, pictured in July. Photograph: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty Images
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Arsenal's Head of Recruitment to Leave Amid 55 Planned Redundancies

 Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, pictured in July. Photograph: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty Images
Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, pictured in July. Photograph: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

Arsenal’s head of recruitment, Francis Cagigao, is among 55 staff members who will leave the club after a swathe of redundancies was announced.

Cagigao has forged a formidable reputation during 24 years of service at Arsenal, for whom he also played as a youngster, but he has been told his services are no longer required and will leave when terms between the parties have been finalised.

The head of UK recruitment, Pete Clark, and the former Reading and Leeds manager Brian McDermott are other members of the scouting department to be dispensed with, and others are understood to fear for their positions amid a significant restructuring.

The decision to release Cagigao will come under particular scrutiny given his glowing track record, which has earned him a reputation among the world’s top talent spotters. Cesc Fàbregas, Héctor Bellerín and Gabriel Martinelli are among the young players he unearthed, and he has been instrumental in numerous other high-profile deals in the past two decades.

But while there is surprise and considerable anger internally regarding the redundancies, there is also a certain sense the scouting department had been considered ripe for targeting. Arsenal’s hierarchy is perceived to have chosen a more agent-led approach to earmarking players over the past 18 months, with Kia Joorabchian’s influence coming under increasing scrutiny, and disquiet about their processes has been growing.

Staff in other areas will also be affected. A joint statement from the managing director, Vinai Venkatesham, and head of football, Raúl Sanllehí, argued the proposal to cut jobs was necessary because Arsenal, whose largest shareholder is the American businessman Stan Kroenke, have suffered severe drops in commercial and matchday revenue as a result of Covid-19. They are the first Premier League club to announce major job losses.

Venkatesham and Sanllehí promised the cost-cutting measures would allow Arsenal to keep investing in their squad. The club, who qualified for the Europa League after winning the FA Cup, are trying to convince Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to sign a new contract and hope to bring in Willian on a three-year deal when his Chelsea contract expires this month. Mesut Özil, their best-paid player, earns £350,000 a week.

“Our main sources of income have all reduced significantly,” Venkatesham and Sanllehí said. “Revenue from broadcasters, matchday and commercial activities have all been hit severely and these impacts will continue into at least the forthcoming 2020-21 season.

“We all hope there will be no ‘second wave’ but we also need to accept that is one of the many uncertainties ahead of us and plan accordingly. Over recent years we have consistently invested in additional staff to take the club forward but with the expected reduction of income in mind, it is now clear that we must reduce our costs further to ensure we are operating in a sustainable and responsible way, and to enable us to continue to invest in the team.

“Our aim has been to protect the jobs and base salaries of our people for as long as we possibly can. Unfortunately, we have now come to the point where we are proposing 55 redundancies. We do not make these proposals lightly and have looked at every aspect of the club and our expenditure before reaching this point. We are now entering the required 30-day consultation period on these proposals.

“We know this is upsetting and difficult for our dedicated staff and our focus is on managing this as sensitively as possible. These proposed changes are ultimately about ensuring we take this great football club forward, creating the right organisation for a post-Covid world, and ensuring we have the resources to return to competing effectively at the top of the game here and in Europe.”

In April Arsenal agreed a 12.5% pay cut over the next 12 months with most of their men’s first-team squad and all the coaching staff. The cut is due to drop to 7.5% as a result of Europa League qualification. Arsenal’s wage bill in their most recently published accounts, for 2018-19, was £232m.

The club continued to pay staff in full during football’s lockdown instead of falling back on the furlough scheme. The club’s 14 executives agreed to a one-third salary cut for the next year.

In a statement the Arsenal supporters’ trust criticised the cuts: “AST is sad to see the news that 55 members of staff are to be made redundant. Arsenal players have contributed to savings at the club by taking voluntary wage cuts. We had hoped these savings would be used to ensure all Arsenal staff are looked after in these difficult times.”

The Guardian Sport



Verstappen Wins Japanese Grand Prix for His First Victory of F1 Season

Formula One F1 - Japanese Grand Prix - Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka, Japan - April 6, 2025 Red Bull's Max Verstappen celebrates on the podium after winning the Japanese Grand Prix. (Reuters)
Formula One F1 - Japanese Grand Prix - Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka, Japan - April 6, 2025 Red Bull's Max Verstappen celebrates on the podium after winning the Japanese Grand Prix. (Reuters)
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Verstappen Wins Japanese Grand Prix for His First Victory of F1 Season

Formula One F1 - Japanese Grand Prix - Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka, Japan - April 6, 2025 Red Bull's Max Verstappen celebrates on the podium after winning the Japanese Grand Prix. (Reuters)
Formula One F1 - Japanese Grand Prix - Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka, Japan - April 6, 2025 Red Bull's Max Verstappen celebrates on the podium after winning the Japanese Grand Prix. (Reuters)

Max Verstappen of Red Bull won Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix and broke a "mini-slump" of only two wins in his previous 16 races.

It was the Dutch driver's fourth straight victory on the Suzuka circuit in central Japan and breaks the momentum of the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who won the season’s first two races in Melbourne, Australia, and Shanghai, China.

The four-time defending Formula 1 champion, Verstappen started from pole position after setting a course-record time in qualifying, which he called "insane." Norris placed second and Piastri was third. The track was dry despite rain earlier in the day to produce an incident-free race.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc finished fourth followed by George Russell of Mercedes and teammate Kimi Antonelli in sixth. Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda finished 12th in his first drive with Red Bull's top team.

"We keep pushing," Verstappen said. "Unbelievable. A great weekend for us."

Norris leads the driver’s standings after three races with 62 points to 61 for Verstappen.

The weekend turned when Verstappen took the pole on his record last lap Saturday in qualifying.

"If was fun, just pushing very hard at the end," Verstappen said. "The two McLarens were pushing very hard. We didn’t give up improving the car and today it was in its best form."

"Of course, starting on the pole — that's what make it possible to win this race."

Winning in Japan again with Red Bull and engine supplier Honda was important for Verstappen.

"It means a lot to me. It was in the back of my mind those last few laps, I was like ‘Wow, I need to try and stay ahead. It would be a great story, you know, our final like kind of farewell race together with Honda here in Japan.’

"I’m incredibly proud of what we have achieved, of course, over all those years together, and I think it’s just like a perfect send off."

Sunday's start was clean with Verstappen taking the lead with the top starters on the grid falling into line behind him. Verstappen slowly stretched his lead and was two seconds ahead of Norris after 10 of 53 laps and kept the same advantage after 15.

Most of the leaders pitted around the 20-lap mark. Verstappen and Norris exited the pits at almost exactly the same time with Norris driving over the grass, unable to get by Verstappen.

"He drove himself into the grass," Verstappen said on the radio.

Stewards said almost immediately the incident did not merit further investigation.

Antonelli led briefly in the middle of the race. At 18 he is the youngest to ever lead in F1 race.

Verstappen was back in the lead after 32 laps, only 1.3 seconds ahead of Norris and 3.4 up on Piastri. On the 36th lap the radio told him: "Push from here."

He did just that, pushing all the way to his 64th career win.