The Emirates Stadium is to get new safe-standing areas, and Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is chasing major silverware on four fronts this season

ARSENAL supporters and fan groups say the club “buried” another hike in ticket prices under the excitement of bringing standing back to the stands.

The Gunners confirmed this week that the Emirates Stadium at Ashburton Grove would be adapted to create two new “safe standing” zones at either end of the ground.

The last government relaxed all-seater ­stadium rules, brought in after the 1989 ­Hillsborough disaster, as long as clubs could show there was no danger to fans.Arsenal are among several clubs which have either trialled safe standing or are planning to introduce it – a move welcomed by those who love the traditional matchday atmosphere. Stewards currently regularly ask supporters to sit in their seats after they have jumped to their feet in excitement at the game.

The club also told fans this week that star winger Bukayo Saka had signed a new five-year contract to keep him at Arsenal.

But these were not the only announcements coming out of the Emirates, with the club also setting a 3.9 per cent rise on the average season ticket price.

The club will also implement two new match ticket categories, A+ and B+, meaning that supporters across the fanbase will pay more to go to games next season.

It is the fifth season in a row that Arsenal have increased ticket prices for their home matches, leading to familiar criticism about how much people should be expected to pay.

The Arsenal Supporters Trust said in a statement: “Neither the Premier League nor Arsenal have seriously engaged with the idea that a freeze at all clubs would help stop the ‘arms race’.

“We firmly believe that with the football sector benefiting from ever-increasing broadcast and commercial revenues, it is time to stop squeezing match-going supporters so hard.

“Arsenal recently reported to Deloitte a big increase in last season’s total revenue to £691m – up by 10 per cent – and ticketing income of £154m, up by 19 per cent. It is frustrating for fans to see football clubs and leagues do so little to combat increasing costs in the game, with ticket prices continuing to rise.”

The Supporters Trust has, however, welcomed the move to safe-standing sections at the Emirates.

Conor James, an Islington-based season ticket-holder of 10 years, said he felt the timing of the announcement on standing was done to soften the blow of more expensive matchday tickets.

“I’m in favour of the safe-standing arrangement, but it won’t make much difference to us in the North Bank because we stand anyway,” he said, referring to the way fans stand despite appeals for everybody in the ground to be seated.

“It’s de facto, they’re just formalising what happens anyway. To be frank, the price increases are the big issue. They’ve buried this news with the safe-standing news, and this is what we should be talking about, because it’s a much bigger issue.”

He added: “It’s blatant opportunism from the club trying to extract as much money as they can, at the expense of local fans who have been going for years.

“It’s leveraging our loyalty and people are being pushed right to the limit by ticket price increases above inflation year on year.”

Mr James added that he felt the decision represented a wider “draconian” business strategy in the Premier League and international football to prioritise profit over the fan experience.

He added: “I think it’s high time something happens across the league. And as demoralising as it all feels, and how terribly fans are treated across the league, we need to come together to resist these changes.”

The anonymous Arsenal artist NorthBanksy, who painted the tunnel close to the stadium, said: “The entire ecosystem around football has changed. There is so much more business and advertising involved in the football world now, and Arsenal is at the top end of that.

“Arsenal have become a brand, and their strategy reflects this. It’s expensive to go to Arsenal, but that is the way it always has been. It’s disappointing, but it’s not that surprising.”

In its statements this week, Arsenal Football Club said it was pleased to introduce safe standing at the ground and it would “continue to make the men’s first-team matches accessible to supporters”. The changes will be made over the next three years.

In response to concerns over ticket price rises, the club said: “While we are making progress toward our ambition of winning major trophies, we are still working toward financial sustainability.

“Our investment in our playing squads and infrastructure is dependent on the revenue we drive in the face of rising costs.”

The club added that it would be retaining its commitment to offering 1,000 free tickets to the local community.