Arsenal 'hire consultants' for costs review months after Premier League title win

· FootballLondon

Arsenal's Premier League title win was a moment to remember for all involved, but a matter of weeks later, the club are now looking at other aspects of the club

Arsenal have hired consultants to review the club's internal actions to assess where they can better operate, football.london understands. Mikel Arteta's side won the Premier League title last year, triggering a tsunami of celebrations across north London.

The Gunners were then a penalty shootout away from winning the Champions League for the first time in their history, losing narrowly to Paris Saint-Germain in the final.

Sky News reported that a matter of months after those dizzying scenes, Arsenal have hired management consultancy firm Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to go through their balance sheets as part of a cost review. Club CEO Richard Garlick is believed to be playing a key role in the introspection of the club, which has around 800 employees.

The work is said to be ongoing, and as such no decisions have yet been taken - though the review is reported to be focused on the 'non-footballing aspects' of the club.

However, a review into the club's finances may not necessarily mean job losses are on the horizon. A review lead by the club last season resulted in an overhaul of the medical department.

football.london reached out to Arsenal but they refused to comment.

Arsenal invested heavily in the transfer market, but were only the ninth highest net-spenders in the Premier League. The statement signings were the arrivals of Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United and Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa.

There were record-breaking sales in north London, with Gabriel Martinelli becoming the club's largest ever sale, when he moved to Al-Hilal for £60m. Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus were also sold to Besiktas and Barcelona, respectively for a combined £28.1m.

Arsenal's successful campaign last season banked them around £300m. This figure is made up of prize money for winning the title, reaching the final of the Champions League, the final of the League Cup and the quarter-final of the FA Cup.

In May, sources from Arsenal told football.london the club's ownership, which is fronted by Stan Kroenke's son, Josh, are intent on the club becoming self-sufficient while also being successful.

On the final home match of the campaign, Josh Kroenke wrote a letter to fans, saying: "The connection we feel with our supporters fills us with pride. Between us, we are building something very special and, wherever this month of May takes us, there will be no standing still when the season ends.

> "We are always forward in our approach, taking the learnings as we go and relentless in the pursuit of progress. We remain focused on raising the standard, creating the best possible environment for our players and people to succeed, and elevating the unity that exists between club and community.”

Arsenal's start to this season suggests more success could be around the corner. They have a 100% win record in all competition so far, and have already beaten Manchester City 3-0 to win the Community Shield, overcame Chelsea 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium, and recorded a 1-0 away victory over Napoli in the Champions League.

The Gunners travel to the north East to face Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, and also begin their League Cup campaign with an away clash against Ipswich Town next Tuesday.

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