Arsenal's summer of change: What's different at the Emirates Stadium?
It has been
a summer of immense change at Arsenal.
Unai Emery
is leading the Gunners into the new season after 22 years under Arsene Wenger,
and the new era begins this weekend to backdrop of upheaval at board level.
From the
ownership to the playing squad, we assess the changes at the Emirates Stadium
ahead of their Premier League opener against Manchester City on Super Sunday.
The
boardroom
Arsenal
supporters are generally more interested in what happens on the pitch than off
it, but on the eve of a massive season, the news of majority owner Stan
Kroenke's deal to take full control of the club has sent ripples through the
fanbase.
Kroenke, who
owns NFL franchise Los Angeles Rams and NBA side Denver Nuggets, has made a
cash bid of £550m to buy out rival billionaire Alisher Usmanov's 30 per cent
stake, with sources close to the Russian telling Sky Sports News that he has
decided to accept the offer and pursue other opportunities.
The purchase
of Usmanov's stake will give Kroenke 97 per cent ownership and lead to the
compulsory purchase of the remaining shares, many of which are owned by Arsenal
fans. The deal will give Kroenke, a deeply unpopular figure among many
supporters, a free rein over the club.
A statement
from the Arsenal Supporters' Trust read: "This news marks a dreadful day
for Arsenal Football Club.
"The
most dreadful part of this announcement is the news that Kroenke plans to
forcibly purchase the shares held by Arsenal fans. Many of these fans are AST
members and hold their shares not for value but as custodians who care for the
future of the club.
"Kroenke's
actions will neuter their voice and involvement. It is in effect legalised
theft to remove shareholder scrutiny on how Arsenal is managed. The AST is
wholly against this takeover. Arsenal remains too important to be owned by any
one person."
Kroenke's
takeover bid is not the only boardroom change in the offing. According to Sky
in Italy, Ivan Gazidis, Arsenal's CEO and the man who has overseen the
transition from Wenger to Emery, is set to leave the club in September to
become AC Milan's executive director
Or should
that be head coach? There's a new man - with a new job title - in the Arsenal
dugout this season, with Emery signing a three-year contract to succeed Wenger
in May just as the Gunners seemed set to appoint their former midfielder Mikel
Arteta.
Emery won't
wield anything like the same level of control as Wenger did, but the hope is
that the focus on coaching will benefit a group of players who lacked direction
under the old regime.
Unai Emery
greets Maurizio Sarri before Arsenal's friendly against Chelsea
Emery
arrives from French giants Paris Saint-Germain, where he won a Ligue 1 title
and six other domestic trophies in two seasons, but his work at previous clubs
Valencia and Sevilla was perhaps more appealing to the decision-makers at
Arsenal.
At Valencia,
he secured three consecutive third-place finishes in La Liga despite the club's
perilous financial situation, and the fine work continued at Sevilla, where he
inspired an unprecedented run of three Europa League wins in a row.
Emery is
known for a high-intensity playing style and an obsession with video and
tactics, which should make Arsenal a very different proposition from last
season.
Emery can
test Guardiola
Unai Emery
has never beaten Pep Guardiola but he tested him like few other managers in La
Liga.
The new
structure
Gazidis
began implementing major structural changes at Arsenal long before Wenger's
departure.
Sven
Mislintat joined from Borussia Dortmund in November to head up recruitment,
driving Arsenal's moves for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and
Lucas Torreira in the last two transfer windows, with Raul Sanllehi arriving
from Barcelona in February as Arsenal's new head of football operations.
Mislintat and Sanllehi are working closely with Huss Fahmy, who joined from
Team Sky as their contract negotiator.
Ivan Gazidis
appointed Raul Sanllehi and Sven Mislintat
Arsenal
stalwarts such as former chief scout Steve Rowley and former transfer
negotiator Dick Law have moved on, with the new continental structure intended
to take the power away from the manager. What's unclear now, however, is how
Gazidis, the man heading it all up, will be replaced if he moves to Milan.
The coaches
Emery has
retained Steve Bould as a first-team assistant head coach but there is a host
of new faces on Arsenal's coaching staff.
Juan Carlos
Carcedo, who has worked with Emery since his Valencia days, has taken the same
job title as Bould, with Pablo Villanueva joining as a first-team coach, and
Julen Masach taking care of strength and conditioning under new director of
high-performance Darren Burgess, who previously worked at Liverpool.
Arsenal
players receive instructions from their new coaching staff
Javi Garcia,
another of Emery's trusted lieutenants, joins as goalkeeper coach and will work
with Englishman Sal Bibbo, but there was no room on the team for Jens Lehmann,
who reacted angrily to his release in the summer.
Emery has
also brought in Victor Manas, who he first worked with at Almeria, to work as a
data and video analyst. Manas is expected to play a key role in the filming and
editing of the videos Emery uses to educate his players.
There have
been changes at youth level, too. Per Mertesacker has become Arsenal's academy
manager, with Freddie Ljungberg returning to the club to coach the U23s.
The players
Following on
from the January signings of Aubameyang, Mkhitaryan and Greek defender
Konstantinos Mavropanos, there have been five new additions since Emery's
appointment.
The
46-year-old has added experience to his defence with the signings of Stephan
Lichtsteiner from Juventus and Sokratis Papastathopoulos from Borussia
Dortmund.
Pierre-Emerick
Aubameyang celebrates with team-mates
Pierre-Emerick
Aubameyang celebrates with team-mates
Torreira
looks set to play a key role in midfield following his arrival from Sampdoria,
while Matteo Guendouzi, an £8m recruit from Lorient, has also impressed in
pre-season.
In goal,
Bernd Leno will provide competition for Petr Cech following his arrival from
Bayer Leverkusen.
There have
been plenty of departures, too. Santi Cazorla and Jack Wilshere were among the
players let go, while Mertesacker moved behind the scenes and Calum Chambers
has joined Fulham on loan. There are expected to be more exits before the
transfer deadline, with Lucas Perez on his way to West Ham.
Comments
Post a Comment