Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis may be about to leave the club for AC Milan just months after the departure of Arsène Wenger.[spacer height=”30px”]
From a Milan perspective, it makes a lot of sense. American hedge fund Elliott Management have completed a takeover at the club after former owner Li Yonghong failed to repay a debt of €32 million.[spacer height=”30px”]
[spacer height=”30px”]As part of the restructuring, Marco Fassone has left his role as CEO, with Scaroni taking over as chairman – he will also be the interim chief executive. Elliott Management Fund purchased 99.93% of the Serie A club, oversaw the departure of five board members on Saturday, including CEO Marco Fassone.[spacer height=”30px”]
According to @SpazioMilan’s reporter Vito Angele, Fassone (current CEO) will leave and the news will be relayed in tomorrow’s meeting. Leonardo and Gazidis are set to be part of the new board structure. https://t.co/4BUImdrV8L
— Arsènic™ (@MrArsenicTM) July 20, 2018
In an exclusive report by the Times it being claimed that the Arsenal Board have been well informed about an offer from AC Milan which Ivan Gazidis is actively considering. Moreover one of the personal involved in the negotiations claims that Gazidis is seriously considering the offer and that is likely to weigh in between negotiations between the club and the CEO.[spacer height=”30px”]
This could probably be the reason why Arsenal were forced into issuing a statement last night in an attempt to buy themselves some time and put the constant speculations on hold for some time. [spacer height=”30px”]
[spacer height=”30px”]“An announcement on the appointment of a new CEO, who has been identified, will be made in due course,” a statement released by the club has confirmed.[spacer height=”30px”]
Arsenal have never quite been in chaos. They are one of the most commercially successful clubs in the world, they are widely considered as one of the best-run sporting organisations in the game, executing a self-sustaining model that perfectly lends itself to the anticipated evolutions of the modern era of the sport, and their revenues exceeded £400 million as of September 2017, a mark that only five other global clubs bettered last year. Gazidis can run a football club, that much is certain.[spacer height=”30px”]
Timing of Gazidis leaving the club is very questionable and is baffling to say the least. Why would you ditch the very project you started without seeing it through? Wonder if Josh Kroenke could be our next CEO, there could be a reason why he is travelling more often to London..
— Sash ~ (@ltarsenal) July 24, 2018
[spacer height=”30px”]Following Wenger’s exit after 22 years, Gazidis has been centre stage at the Emirates Stadium. He oversaw the arrivals of Raul Sanllehí from Barcelona and Sven Mislintat from Borussia Dortmund in the winter as Arsenal looked to modernise the running of the club before the arrival of new head coach Unai Emery.[spacer height=”30px”]
[spacer height=”30px”]Sanllehí, the club’s head of football relations, and Mislintat, head of recruitment, have been hard at work this summer, bringing in five first team signings. Gazidis, though, could now leave the operation just as the club enters a crucial post-Wenger era.[spacer height=”30px”]
The Gazidis story is such a difficult one to get a grip on. Arsenal sources insisting it's just 'noise'. He's here and it's business as usual. Emery convinced he is staying and 'committed'. Yet the reports in Italy say done deal. All very strange.
— Charles Watts (@charles_watts) July 25, 2018
[spacer height=”30px”]With Wenger gone at Arsenal, Gazidis now has the power and control he has been waiting for at the club and seeing him walk out now would be an enormous shock. Now is the time to press forward with the plans that he has wanted to instil at the club for many years, not abandon them to join a club that is going through yet another takeover.[spacer height=”30px”]
[spacer height=”30px”]For Arsenal, the Gazidis project is just getting started. Sven Mislintat, Huss Fahmy, Raul Sanllehi, Unai Emery. They are all at the club because he wanted them at the club. Why leave just as the work is getting started, just as the anticipated fun is getting going, just as the winning, at least in Gazidis’ eyes, is about to start? It makes no sense.[spacer height=”30px”]
Gazidis meanwhile is with the rest of the squad in Singapore as Arsenal embark on a pre-season tour.[spacer height=”30px”]
