? Chief executive 'disappointed' with team's trophy drought
? 'Signings will be coming in' he tells fans at Q&A session
Ivan Gazidis, the Arsenal chief executive, has told the club's supporters that he shares their "profound disappointment" following yet another season without a trophy and has promised a busy summer in the transfer market.
At one stage during the last campaign Arsenal looked on course to win a quadruple of prizes, but they ultimately finished with nothing for the sixth season in a row.
Speaking at a question and answer session with the Arsenal Supporters Trust on Monday night, Gazidis pledged to put things right. He said: "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.
"It is very clear we had some shortcomings and in this close season we are going to see some turnover of players. Some new signings will be coming in and some of our existing squad will be going out. As Ars�ne [Wenger, the manager] has said, it will be a busy close season for the club."
Gazidis added: "But also it is important to recognise that it has not been a disaster. We have a young squad and we don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. The trick will be [to] identify which parts to keep and which parts to turn over. And we will do that within our financial capabilities."
Those capabilities could be boosted by the club's majority shareholder, Stan Kroenke. The American owns 66.64% of the club and Gazidis says Kroenke "understands" what Arsenal stand for.
"He has grown to love Arsenal but he will remain in the background," said Gazidis. "This is not somebody who steps forward and looks for a public profile."
Kroenke is bidding to take complete control of Arsenal, and some supporters have expressed concerns that he could do so by putting the club into debt. Gazidis does not think that would happen, though, and said: "The confirmations that Mr Kroenke gave in relation to his offer were, one, that he supports the self-sustainable business model of the club, and secondly that the offer would not be funded by debt against the club or dependent on Arsenal's business.
"Those were two significant commitments and confirmations that he made."
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/jun/13/ivan-gazidis-arsenal
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