Anger is growing among Arsenal supporters at the club’s plan to make 55 staff redundant due to financial impact of Covid.

While the majority of Mikel Arteta’s squad agreed to a 12.5 per cent pay cut during the height of the pandemic in April the club’s number crunchers say the loss of crucial revenue during the coronavirus pandemic has forced them to cut staff.

Despite a saving of more than £20m expected from the players salary drop and the Arsenal's executive team also agreeing to waive a third of their wages in the next year, the club say they are compelled to make further savings.

Arsenal’s business model is predicated on matchday and TV revenues in a bid to be self-sufficient in an age when oligarchs pump billions into Premier League clubs. However the fallout from Covid-19 has meant no fans are allowed in stadiums – with a subsequent fall in cash from TV post-lockdown meaning a perfect storm has engulfed the Emirates outfit.

The club owned by Silent Stan Kroenke and KSE say they now face 'more significant and longer-lasting reductions in our revenue than we all hoped'.

The Gunners have explained that they did not take the decision to cut loyal staff ‘lightly’ and had studied ‘every aspect of the club and our expenditure before reaching this point.’

"We know this is upsetting and difficult for our dedicated staff and our focus is on managing this as sensitively as possible," the club added.

The redundancies are set to be in the football, commercial and administration departments, with the majority of numbers to earmarked to leave in the latter two sections.

However, fans are angry and frustrated because they see the club, owned by billionaire Kroenke as being ‘better than that’.

Arsenal received plaudits during lockdown by refusing to furlough staff – while bitter rivals Spurs received condemnation for taking government money, before a public outcry forced them to change their minds.

A number of staff at Arsenal have spoken to the Gooner on condition on anonymity since the news was announced last week.

Three spoke to the voice of Arsenal supporters before the weekend with one saying: “Spurs got stick for furloughing staff – but I don’t see them getting rid of anyone.

“Maybe Arsenal should have furloughed staff to save jobs now,” while another added, “We know the players aren’t to blame, most of them have been great - even if it would have been nice if certain footballers had given a little of their salary.

“We know that’s not how it works - but to cut 55 staff who have always been so loyal and hard-working despite the club being owned by a billionaire leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.”

A third told the Gooner: “It stinks. It’s been the talk of the club. No-one likes what the Kroenke’s are doing. Arsenal are better than this, surely?”

With Arsenal looking to pay off Mesut Ozil, the highest earner in the history of the 134-year-old club, despite not playing a minute since lockdown due to an alleged lack of effort in training, the north Londoners could save millions on their wage bill if the underperforming German was moved on.

Yet, even that would not save the 55 jobs that are threatened – leaving fans furious.

On the well-respected Arsenal Fans Forum site on Facebook, a number of Gooners spoke out.

Club level season ticket holder Kenton Price wrote: “I angrily emailed Arsenal about making 55 staff redundant, and within half an hour I got a phone call from my Club Level coordinator.

"I thought she was going to issue platitudes to calm me down. Not a bit of it - she was phoning to personally thank me for sending it, as unbeknownst to me, she is one of the 55 at risk, along with loads more in the platinum and gold membership departments.

“I understand from another source that today many of them are being told to reapply for their jobs.

“Arsenal staff need our help, they need feedback from the membership to show that we are appalled that KSE has already broken its promises when our players agreed to a pay cut that there would be no redundancies.

“So come on, troops. Get your ‘Disgusted Of Highbury’ hat on and write an email to your membership coordinator, and copy [email protected] too.

“If you don't have a membership coordinator, send it to [email protected] and it will still count.”

The Kroenke’s also intend to cut staff benefits, capital projects and discretionary projects, but stress money will ‘continue’ to be made available to boost Arteta’s squad with summer transfer plans said to be unaffected.

Despite the club reaching the Europa League – with the additional revenues it will bring following qualification through winning the FA Cup - cash is still tight at the club after what will be four seasons of missing out on the riches of the Champions League.

“We all know the pressures that Covid has brought about - but the 55 staff probably represent around just two months of Mesut Ozil’s wages,” said Philip Wood, another Arsenal season ticket holder, adding: “The other players have taken a pay cut voluntarily, in part to safeguard the lower paid jobs and this is a betrayal.

"It also appears to be a betrayal of the values of the club – those values are important to us and one of the reasons we support it,” as he concluded by sending the Kroenke’s a plea: “The timing could not be worse – having just won a trophy and secured European football with the additional revenue that brings. I would respectfully urge you to reconsider this programme."

Arsenal, who won a record 14th FA Cup trophy against Frank Lampard’s Blues at the national stadium on August 1, have blamed the loss of revenue from supporters unable to watch football at the Emirates Stadium at the commencement of next season.

The earliest date discussed for a return is October - and only in limited numbers following their long-awaited return.

The club explained revenue from broadcasters, matchday and commercial activities had all been ‘hit severely’ and that the club are looking down the barrel of one of the ‘most challenging periods’ in their history.

However - with the economy set to slump into a deep recession - in a show of solidarity with the 55 staff set to lose their incomes and face an uncertain future, Arsenal supporters called on the club to create community roles in and around north London to help smaller clubs.

Long-term Arsenal fan and season ticket holder Jo Tester added her voice to the campaign saying: “We could create community roles for 12 months. We could loan staff to Barnet or Boreham Wood, clubs who had to make redundancies with no other option.

“We don’t need to employ people for the sake of it - but we could do the right thing and say ‘we know there is going to be mass unemployment in the next 12 months and as a club we are not going to contribute to that.’

While another loyal Gooner, Steve Livings simply wrote on Twitter: “There is a better solution than this for such a wealthy club. The owners are not showing the class we have come to expect as supporters of The Arsenal.”