Mesut Ozil has reportedly rejected the proposed 12.5 percent pay cut by Arsenal and instead offered a wage deferral to best assess the impact of the coronavirus pandemic to the Gunners' finances. The Premier League club, like other football organizations in Europe, has asked players to accept salary reduction for the management to better cope with the global health crisis.
The proposal will see the salary of players and the coaching staff cut down in the next 12 months in order to realize savings, which Arsenal said "will help cover some of the financial risks we have this season in relation to our matchday and commercial income."
The deal, however, will ensure that the shaved off amount will be paid in full if the Gunners will qualify in the Champions League for the current season and the next. The roster will also receive £100,000 in bonus if Arsenal will finish in the Top 4 of the Premier League, Metro reported.
And the squad will get 7.5 percent of the amount deducted should Arsenal qualify in the Europa League. As for players that will be sold within the period of the agreement, the money will be refunded in full, per the agreement that players and the management have approved.
Arsenal confirmed that the deal got the nod of club boss Mikel Arteta, his staff and the majority of the Gunners first-team. However, reports came out that three Arsenal players rejected the proposal and one was identified as Ozil.
Instead of agreeing to the pay cut, the German playmaker has offered for a wage deferral to take effect so he can fully assess the impact of the pandemic at a later time. Supposedly, Ozil has committed that if the data will later show that the COVID-19 spread had hurt club then he is willing to take a higher pay cut.
Ozil is currently Arsenal's highest-paid player as he is getting £350,000 per week.
His position on the matter is best explained by his agent Erkut Sogut, who recently stated that the real financial impact of the health crisis could only be fully appreciated after three or six months.
Along this line, Ozil's agent took on the position that in place of a pay cut, the Premier League can opt for deferrals, which Mirror said was the solution pushed by the Professional Footballers' Association.
"Deferral is an option but not to agree a cut today when the clubs may still make the same profit as last year," Sogut was reported as saying.
In a statement, Arsenal said: "We have reached a voluntary agreement with our first-team players, head coach and core coaching staff to help support the club at this critical time."
"We are proud and grateful to our players and staff for pulling together to support our club, our people and our community in these unprecedented times which are some of the most challenging we have faced in our history," the club added.
