Ivan Gazidis says Arsenal must be 'bold' in search for Arsene Wenger's successor

James Olley20 April 2018

Ivan Gazidis insisted Arsenal have never been better prepared to replace Arsene Wenger but insisted the club have not yet approached any candidates.

The Gunners’ chief executive was speaking after a tumultuous day in which Wenger told his coaching staff and players he will step down at the end of the season.

Wenger was facing an end-of-season review into his position which did not look favourable given Arsenal are now reliant on winning the Europa League to reach next season’s Champions League after a disappointing Premier League campaign.

The club will now begin a daunting task of finding Wenger’s successor as his 22-year reign comes to an end but Gazidis believes the appointments of Sven Mislintat as head of recruitment and Raul Sanllehi as head of football relations leave them well-placed to succeed in future.

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“The decision had to happen at one point,” said Gazidis. “I don’t think the club has ever been better prepared for that decision. Now it’s time for us to look forward and I think we can do it with confidence.

“We have a tremendous amount of experience in the football club. I’ve been involved in professional football for 25 years, overseeing the football side of Major League Soccer, with multiple coaching changes there. Raul Sanllehi has been through five or six different Barcelona coaching changes and presidential changes.

“Sven Mislintat has been through a number at Borussia Dortmund, and then on the board we have board members who are old enough and experienced enough to have been through Arsenal changes.

“And then of course [majority shareholder] Stan Kroenke and Josh Kroenke themselves have been through many, many coaching changes in different sports. All of that experience exists, I doubt there is a more experienced group in handling changes of coaches. Having said all of that, it is a very unique situation.

“None of us have been through a coaching change and a managerial change that will be like this one. I recognise the size of the challenge but I do think we have the resources and the people and the experience and the knowhow to make the right choice for the future of this football club.”

A plethora of managers have been linked with the job including Carlo Ancelotti, Brendan Rodgers, Luis Enrique, Max Allegri, Mikel Arteta and Patrick Vieira but Gazidis claimed the search for a new manager only begins now.

“What I will say is that it’s important to me that we continue the football values that Arsene has instilled in the club,” he said.

"I want to see somebody who can continue that for our fans, and our fans want to see that.

“Somebody who will continue to play exciting, progressive football that gets people interested and excited in the games we play. But I also think there is a significant piece with Arsenal of how the candidate represents the club. That’s important to me and I think it’s important to Arsenal fans.

“There is another value which I didn’t talk about which is young players. Our academy teams are doing extremely well and under the radar we have got a lot of players coming through into our first team, not just ones that you already know about but the next generation as well.

“So that value of giving youth a chance is also very important to the football club. I think we have got to be open-minded and also brave in the decision. When Arsene was appointed, I don’t think he was on many people’s radar screens.

“That doesn’t mean we have to make another appointment that not everybody is thinking about and talking about but it does mean we need to be bold and get the person we believe is the right person.”

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