By Tom Finn
October 15, 2014
Ivan Gazidis the Gunners chief executive says that the biggest challenge the club will face in the coming years is to find the man who will replace Arsene Wenger as manager.
Wenger has been in charge of the north London club for the past 18 years and while he does not look as if he is going anywhere after having signed a new three-year contract back in May the fact is he will turn 65-years-old next week has Gazidis thinking about who will be his replacement.
While talking to talkSPORT the chief executive said: “So much of the attention on a football club is around an individual and that’s very understandable at Arsenal because we have a giant who’s managing us.”
“Arsene has been a fantastic driver and has put the club in a great, great position.”
“The biggest challenge we’re going to face as a club is that, when that transition from Arsene to the next manager of our football club happens – and I don’t know when that’s going to be – that we come through that strongly.”
Speaking about his optimism for the future and how he would like Arsenal to be one of Europe’s elite clubs he added:
“I wouldn’t be doing this job if I didn’t believe we could compete at the very top level. I know Arsene feels exactly the same way.”
“Where we are currently is off the shoulder of the world’s top teams.”
“I think the best teams in the world are in Europe and you think about the great names in world football like Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich – I don’t think we’re at that level yet but that’s where we’re aiming to get to.”
“It’s one thing to say that and it’s another thing to be able to deliver it.”
