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£1m salary boost gives Gazidis the 'hardest decision of my life'

Most of us would be happy with a £1m salary boost plus a stake in the equity of the company we were joining, but Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis claims he faced 'the hardest decision of his life' when that offer was made to him by Inter Milan. His salary in Italy will be £3.6m.

He will be leaving the Emirates on 31st October, notwithstanding a twelve month notice period on his contract. He has been there for nearly ten years.

Gazidis has been behind a radical overhaul of the structure of the club in recent years. He sought to shift away from Arsene Wenger's autonomy as manager to a more continental structure. He wanted a framework where the manager confined himself to coaching.

He appointed nine new department heads and several long-serving backroom staff were shown the door. Gazidis had a somewhat frosty relationship with Wenger towards the end of the manager's 22-year reign. Indeed, he pretty much eased him out of the club.

Gazidis oversaw Arsenal's purchase of StatDNA, the data analytics company, which Wenger was not keen on.

It is not known whether there will be a direct replacement for Gazidis, but Josh Kroenke, son of owner Stan Kroenke, is one likely candidate. He has been in London a lot this year and has taken a close interest in the day-to-day running of the club. He could be the point man to look after his father's investment in the Arsenal franchise (as it would be seen in the US).

However, he is also president of the Colorado Avalanche in the NHL and the Denver Nuggets in the NBA, as well as alternative governor of Colorado Rapids in the MLS. These other posts in his father's sports empire means that he cannot directly replace Gazidis. Nevertheless, he will be a looming presence.

Indeed, Gazidis's workload has been split in two. Vinai Venkatesham moves from being chief commercial officer to managing director. Raul Samliehi becomes head of football, having been director of football in all but name.

Some Arsenal fans have been critical of Gazidis's role at the club. The Arsenal Supporters' Trust want to know why it took him so long to come to a decision. It may be that one factor was Mikel Arteta, his preference for head coach, being overlooked for Unai Emery.

Inter Milan have expressed their delight at the appointment of a 'world class CEO'. I suppose we now have them as well as world class footballers. Inter Milan is now owned by American hedge fund Elliott Management. He wants to transform Milan before selling his investment so Gazidis could get a windfall from his shareholding.

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