We’ve got 55 redundancies but Auba ain’t one – The Warm-Up

There was a truly bleak development at Arsenal earlier this week with the news that 55 members of staff would be made redundant due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, at a club owned by a man worth a reported $8.3 billion, who in 2017 had a nice $1m spare to donate to Donald Trump’s inaugural fund.

A club, indeed, which was the only one during the Covid crisis to impose a pay cut on its players, only for them to see 55 staff members shown the door anyway. A state of affairs which has apparently left certain members of the squad, “bemused, upset and gutted.”

But there is one Arsenal employee who will likely be sticking around, after a report emerged yesterday in the Daily Telegraph that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is close to signing a new three-year deal at the club, a development which would be a massive coup for Mikel Arteta.

The timing of the news may be uncomfortably close to news of the 55 lay-offs but it should not be assessed unfavourably against it. If Arsenal can sign Aubameyang to a new deal it will mean they are considerably better equipped to qualify for the Champions League next season and would also have the option of selling the striker for a decent price next summer if they do not. Both outcomes which will improve Arsenal’s finances immeasurably and help secure the future of the club.

This aligns closely with Arsenal’s statement that “investment in the team… will continue to be a key priority”. And understandably so. Success on the pitch is the primary factor which drives the financial health of the club.

No one should question the wisdom of securing Aubameyang to an extension. The trouble for Arsenal is that having taken the decision to end the employment of 55 members of staff, every single decision they take on the recruitment and contractual side has to be extremely clearly justified.

Does Willian, a 31-year-old playing in a position where Arsenal have good options, not to mention some quality young talent coming through, really need a three-year deal on a reported £100,000 per week. Dropping that to a two-year deal would save around £5.2m – or the reported annual costs of those 55 employees twice over. Twice.

Did Cedric Soares really need a four-year deal? And what about David Luiz’s one-year contract extension when Arsenal are now looking to sign Gabriel from Lille – read our expert insight from France on that deal here.

If 55 people are being forced out of their jobs then as a club, Arsenal will have to very closely account for every investment they make from this point on. Aubameyang is a no brainer. Can we trust the current hierarchy at Arsenal to ensure every other move they take is?

It’s barely believable but, yes, after the successful conclusion of (most of) Europe’s top leagues, the Champions League resumes tonight as we wrap up the remaining second legs of the last-16 before heading into the bizarre but potentially brilliant one-game knockout tournament in Portugal.

Five months on from the imposition of lockdown across Europe, it’s quite remarkable to consider that the Champions League is back up and running, with Lyon facing Juventus and Manchester City welcoming Real Madrid to the Etihad, all at an acceptably social distance of course.

One player who will miss out on hearing that anthem tonight though is Gareth Bale, with his popularity levels in the Spanish capital set to plunge even further following a declaration from Zinedine Zidane that the Welsh player took the decision not to participate.

"It was a personal conversation I had with him. He preferred not to play," said Zidane. "The rest remains between me and him but he said he didn't want to play."

Allowances should be made for any personal decisions of this nature during a pandemic and who knows what Bale may have going on in his life which would mean international travel isn’t the smartest option.

Anyway, with the Champions League back, this is how The Warm-Up is feeling right now:

More than a year after their Europa League campaign began, Wolves last night secured their place in the last eight with a 1-0 win over Olympiacos sealing a 2-1 aggregate win. Raul Jimenez was, inevitably, the goalscorer.

Meanwhile, Rangers’ European campaign ended with a 1-0 loss away at Bayer Leverkusen, which did at least ensure they avoid playing their 2019-20 European season after their 2020-21 domestic season has already started.

Scott Parker x The Streets. Almost too perfect.

It’s been a while since we checked in on MLS, which is hosting the MLS is Back mini tournament in anticipation of getting the regular season underway later in August. And in the early hours of Friday morning, Nani rolled back the years by scoring this absolute peach as Orlando City beat Minnesota United to reach the final.

In recognition of Ledley King joining Jose Mourinho’s coaching staff as first-team assistant, here are his best Premier League moments for Spurs, including a goal after 9.82 seconds, and a frankly ridiculous goal-saving tackle against Arjen Robben.

Coming up? Only the god damn Champions League. It’s back, baby, as Juventus take on Lyon looking to overturn their 1-0 loss from the first leg back in March(!). Lyon have barely played a match since of course while Juventus have won Serie A so they should, should, be in better shape.

And in the big match of the night, Manchester City host Real Madrid aiming to protect their 2-1 advantage from the first leg and reach the mini World Cup-style tournament in Portugal. What’s not to love about this?

You can follow both matches live with us – and if you need to brush up on which Champions League team has done what over lockdown, look no further than Ben Snowball’s authoritative guide to all the clubs still involved, with expert analysis from each country.