Arsenal chief executive Richard Garlick informed staff this week that the club planned to reduce its workforce across several departments. The proposals could affect around seven per cent of the club’s 871 permanent employees, with coaching and performance staff in the men’s and women’s teams excluded.
The Arsenal Foundation, Arsenal in the Community and security staff are also understood to be unaffected. The review behind the proposed redundancies began before the club’s Premier League title triumph last season.
Arteta, who recently signed a new four-year contract, said the rationale for the changes had been explained to him.
“It was explained to me about the exercise, and the analysis that has been done across the club, and with the intention always to evolve, to improve,” the Arsenal manager said.
“Some decisions have to be taken to put people in the right roles, and keep investing, to achieve what we want to achieve, the success that we want to create. That has been explained.
“Obviously, I am not the right person to answer that question. That's for sure. And hopefully everybody will respect that.”
The proposed cuts come against a backdrop of rising operating costs. Arsenal reported record revenue of £691 million for the 2024-25 financial year, although the club recorded an overall loss of £1.4 million. Operating costs rose from £147.9 million to £200.8 million.
On the pitch, Arteta is looking for Madueke to take advantage of an opening created by an injury to Christos Tzolis. The England winger has faced competition for places since joining Arsenal from Chelsea in 2025 and has struggled to establish himself as a regular starter.
Arteta expects a run of games to help the 24-year-old rediscover his best form.
“If we give the possibility to any player to give him two or three or four games in a row, I think everybody will appreciate that because they will get more familiar with the players, more minutes, more confidence,” he said.
“He had a few and he will have more minutes in the next few games. I am sure that we will start to see a closer version of Noni at the highest level.”
Madueke has generally looked most comfortable on the right, cutting inside onto his favoured left foot, but he has also been used on the opposite flank. Arteta believes the winger can contribute from either position.
“I think he can play in both positions. He offers something completely different,” he said.
“Obviously now we have the necessity of a player on the left side with different qualities than Ebs as well, that can complement all the other unit we have on that left hand side. It’s great because he is comfortable there, he is enjoying playing there, and he is doing well. It’s a good solution.”
Arteta also challenged Viktor Gyökeres to turn his opportunities into goals. The striker has yet to score for Arsenal this season, despite his prolific record for Sweden.
“The other day, I think, he had some very good moments. He's three or four times in front of goal with no keeper and the ball should arrive to him and it doesn't,” Arteta said.
“It's very small margins. Scoring or not scoring changes the narrative, for sure not the perception of how much he can help the team.”
Arsenal head to Nottingham Forest on Sunday looking to build on consecutive wins since the international break. Arteta expects a difficult test at the City Ground, where his side have struggled in recent visits.
“We have responded really well in the last two games, two very good performances and results,” he said. “Now we just focus on the game against Forest which I know is going to be a really tough one.”