Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis promises busy summer of transfer activity at the club

Arsenal’s new CEO Ivan Gazidis, formerly a big player with Major League Soccer

Related Links

Teams

Players

Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis has promised the club’s fans that there will be plenty of transfer activity at the Emirates Stadium this summer.

The Gunners were in the hunt for four trophies in February but defeats to Barcelona in the Champions League, Manchester United in the FA Cup and Birmingham in the League Cup final, combined with dropping points in the league, saw Arsene Wenger’s men finish the season in fourth position and without a trophy for a sixth successive year.

Injuries depleted the squad at times during the season, and Gazidis acknowledges there needs to be investment this summer.

“It is very clear we had some shortcomings and in this close season we are going to see some turnover of players,” Gazidis said to the Arsenal Supporters Trust.

“Some new signings will be coming in and some of our existing squad will be going out. As Arsene has said, it will be a busy close season for the club.”

However, the chief executive refused to label the season as a failure and reiterated his, and his fellow directors’, faith in Wenger’s plans to revamp the squad in preparation for the new campaign.
 
“It is also important to recognise that it has not been a disaster,” he added.

“We have a young squad and we don’t want to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

“The trick will be identify which parts to keep and which parts to turnover. And we will do that within our financial capabilities.”

He added: “Coming off the end of the season, I share with you a sense of profound disappointment.

“We had a season that promised a great deal and looked like it could turn into a very special one but in the end a familiar story began to tell itself.

“I understand the feelings that we all felt.”

Our  provides the best breaking news online and our  football fan community is unmatched worldwide. Never miss a thing again!