Arsenal Chief Executive Ivan Gazidis resigns from the North London club after 10 years as he has accepted an executive position with Italian giants AC Milan.
According to the Rossoneri’s official website, Gazidis will be taking the CEO position at Milan from 1st December 2018, taking over the responsibility of Paolo Scaroni.
“I am very excited to take on this new challenge, and will do everything I can to secure AC Milan’s return to the top,” Gazidis stated in a press release.
Ever since the departure of players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva combined with consistently poor management, Milan has been on a decline in the last six years.
Under Gennaro Gattuso last season, Milan managed to secure a Europa League spot. However, with a new CEO, they are looking to restore their Champions League glory.
The Gunners have announced in a club statement on that Raul Sanllehi and Vinai Venkatesham will lead the club under new executive management.
Sanllehi, previously a Director of Football at FC Barcelona for 16 years, will be appointed the same position at the Emirates. Venkatesham on the other hand who is currently Chief Commericial Officer at Arsenal, will become Managing Director.
In a message to the fans on arsenal.com, Gazidis thanks the club for having him as Chief Executive for the past decade, handing his position on to the two new executives.
He mentions about the work done on and off the field to rebuild the Arsenal identity in order for the club to adapt and progress in the future.
“Change and succession is not only inevitable for a club like Arsenal, it is necessary if it is continually to keep moving forward,” he said. “One of my primary responsibilities as chief executive has been to make sure that there is good succession planning in every position in the club, including my own.”
Despite it being a difficult decision, Gazidis believes that taking up the position at AC Milan came at the right time after what he has done for the North London side in the past 10 years.
“While this is the most difficult and challenging course for me, I am excited to see what the future holds for this great club.”
Under Unai Emery, Arsenal currently stand 7th on the Premier League table. Though they have a whole array of talented players, the fans are yet to be impressed by the side’s performances as the executives have often been at the centre of controversy.
Source of Image: Arsenal Media
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