Premier League
ARSENAL TOP EARNER, MESUT OZIL KICKS AGAINST WAGE CUT
Germany’s Mesut Ozil who is Arsenal’s biggest earner at £350,000 a week has resisted the club’s efforts to implement a squad-wide 12.5 per cent pay-cut.
Arsenal on Monday announced ‘a voluntary agreement with our first-team players, head coach and core coaching staff’ to cut salaries for a 12 month period.
However, there are as many as three players who are still to be totally convinced of the necessity to take total pay deductions, rather than deferrals, with Ozil understood to be one of those.
Individual talks are set to continue with Ozil, the club’s highest earner on £350,000-a-week, who has made it clear he may be willing to take a pay-cut in the future but wants to be sure of the full financial impact of the coronavirus before making a full informed decision.
Ozil, it is understood, is open to accepting a deferral worth more than the 12.5 per cent pay cut his team mates have taken. The Professional Footballers Association have advised players against taking cuts.
The German’s representative Dr Erkut Sogut declined to comment when contacted by Sportsmail on Monday night.
Arsenal were also contacted but refused to discuss the issue because they regard it as the players’ private business.
But speaking earlier this month Sogut said: ‘Deferral is an option but not to agree a cut today when the clubs may still make the same profit as last year.
ARSENAL’S TOP WEEKLY EARNERS
- Mesut Ozil – £350,000
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – £200,000
- Alexandre Lacazette – £180,000
- Nicolas Pepe – £140,000
- David Luiz – £125,000
- Hector Bellerin – £110,000
‘What the exact financial impact is on the clubs, we can see three to six months later – but we can’t see it today.’
In announcing pay cuts on Monday, Arsenal have become the first club to agree total salary reductions, rather than deferrals.’
In an interview with the Athletic today, Sogut added: ‘It is not enough for a club to present a proposal to one member of the first team squad and then asked them to go to the rest of the squad an get their consent to do it. That is not how individual contract negotiations should take place.
‘A club may even ask a first team manager to negotiate with players and this may influence some, particularly younger players or those on the fringe who fear there might be personal repercussions for him if he does not agree.
‘In those circumstances it could be questionable that any consent from the players would be legally binding anyway as some players are not in a position to give true consent if they are under pressure to do so.’
Initially, as revealed by Sportsmail last Monday, players refused to accept pay cuts when presented with the proposal by the club’s PFA rep Hector Bellerin.
But manager Mikel Arteta, during talks with players last Wednesday, played a key role in sparking a change of heart in his squad.
Arsenal will repay the 12.5 per cent losses back to the players in full if they qualify for the Champions League in the next two season.
Players will receive 7.5 per cent back if they reach the Europa League but will have to swallow the full 12.5 per cent if they do not qualify for Europe.
‘We are pleased to announce that 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.
‘The move follows positive and constructive discussions. In these conversations there has been a clear appreciation of the gravity of the current situation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and a strong desire for players and staff to show their backing for the Arsenal family.’
England and Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has been handed a 15-month suspended prison sentence by a Greek court over a 2020 incident in Mykonos, Sky Sports reported on Wednesday.
In 2020, Maguire was found guilty of repeated bodily harm, attempted bribery and violence against public employees after his arrest in a brawl in which two police officers were assaulted.
Maguire, who was detained for two days following the incident and denied any wrongdoing, was handed a suspended prison sentence of 21 months and 10 days but was granted a full retrial after appealing against Greek court convictions on multiple charges.
In accordance with the Greek judicial process, the filing nullified Maguire’s conviction before a full retrial in a more senior court. His retrial was postponed many times.
Maguire faced allegations of non-serious assault, resisting arrest and attempted bribery. The 32-year-old was convicted on all three counts but will face no prison time. His legal team will appeal against the guilty verdict, Sky Sports reported.
Maguire’s brother Joe and friend Christopher Sharman were also found guilty of offences related to the incident and received suspended prison sentences in 2020. They also denied any wrongdoing.
-Reuters
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Arsenal maintained control of the Premier League title race as they chiselled out a nervy 2-1 win over London rivals Chelsea to open up a five-point lead at the top of the table on Sunday.
Jurrien Timber’s 66th-minute header from a Declan Rice corner ensured Arsenal took three precious points, but it was a nervy afternoon in north London.
Mikel Arteta’s side moved to 64 points from 29 games, with Manchester City, who have played a game fewer, on 59.
Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber celebrates scoring their second goal with Gabriel Magalhaes REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Defender William Saliba had given Arsenal the lead in the 21st minute from a trademark corner routine.
But it had looked as though an own goal by Piero Hincapie just before halftime would prove costly for the hosts until Timber came to their rescue.
Chelsea, whose six-match unbeaten league sequence under new manager Liam Rosenior was halted, ended the match with 10 men after Pedro Neto was sent off for a second yellow card.
-Reuters
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Premier League
Manchester United climb to third in Premier League table with come-from-behind win over Palace
Manchester United produced a stirring second-half comeback to defeat Crystal Palace 2–1 at Old Trafford on Sunday, with captain Bruno Fernandes inspiring the turnaround that lifted the hosts into third place in the Premier League standings.
Trailing inside four minutes after a dominant start by Palace, United responded through a Fernandes penalty before his pinpoint free-kick was headed home by Benjamin Sesko to seal victory against the 10-man visitors.
The win extended interim manager Michael Carrick’s unbeaten run to seven matches since taking charge in mid-January. United now have 51 points from 28 games and are unbeaten since the January 5 dismissal of Ruben Amorim, climbing into third for the first time since May 2023. Palace remain 14th on 35 points.
“It feels like a big result, we were behind and had to show some character,” Fernandes told Sky Sports. “There are a lot of games to go still, and it is important that we don’t feel that we are in the position that we need to be. We need to make as many points as we can.”
Palace, under Oliver Glasner, were electric in the opening half hour, capitalising on sluggish United play. Defender Maxence Lacroix powered home a header from a corner after muscling past Leny Yoro, scoring the earliest goal United have conceded this season.
The visitors nearly doubled their advantage when Daniel Munoz latched onto an Ismaila Sarr through ball, but goalkeeper Senne Lammens produced a crucial save.
United gradually found their rhythm before the break. Sesko forced Dean Henderson into action with a header from a Fernandes cross, and the Palace keeper also tipped a Fernandes free kick over the bar.
The turning point arrived in the 57th minute when Fernandes converted from the penalty spot after Matheus Cunha was dragged down by Lacroix. Following a lengthy VAR review, Lacroix was shown a red card, reducing Palace to 10 men.
Eight minutes later, Fernandes’ delivery again proved decisive as Sesko rose highest to nod home the winning goal.
United pushed for a third, with Casemiro’s volley drawing a diving save from Henderson and substitute Amad Diallo testing the keeper from distance in stoppage time. Joshua Zirkzee saw efforts blocked, while Kobbie Mainoo’s fierce strike drifted narrowly wide.
Carrick praised his team’s resilience. “The biggest thing for us to take from the game is really the first time that we have been in that situation going in at halftime,” he said. “Being in that position and how we react and showing that personality and belief… to then come back as we did in the second half is the biggest thing for me today.”
Palace pressed late but could not find an equaliser. Glasner admitted his side had let the game slip. “It feels like there was more possible today. A great first 30 minutes, but the red card changed it completely. The second goal just happened too quickly.”
For United, the victory reinforces growing belief under Carrick that a top-four finish—and a return to Europe’s elite competition—is firmly within reach.
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