Arsenal
Aston Villa
Chelsea
Crystal Palace
Everton
Fulham
Leeds United
Liverpool
Manchester City
Manchester United
Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest
Southampton
Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham United
Wolverhampton Wanderers
News
Arsenal have just made a big change behind the scenes that will have £500m transfer impact
One of the key figures behind Arsenal’s success in recent years has departed the club – and his replacement is now ready to get to work.
Despite some early teething problems under Mikel Arteta, Arsenal have enjoyed a major upswing in fortunes on the pitch in the recent seasons.
Ahead of Arsenal’s Premier League opening day fixture against Wolves this Saturday, the North London club are aiming to go one better than their successive 2nd-place finishes in 2022-23 and 2023-24.
As well as Arteta’s influence, sporting director Edu Gaspar – who has been in situ since 2019 – has been hailed as one of the masterminds behind Arsenal’s revival.
It is not uncommon for the manager and sporting director to take the glory when it comes to a club’s on-pitch success.
But there is also a huge executive team that is responsible for creating the conditions in which a sporting department can flourish.
And for that feat in recent years, Arsenal owe a debt of gratitude to Vinai Venkatesham, their chief executive since October 2020.
- READ MORE ARSENAL NEWS: Arsenal could be lining up late move for £100m Premier League ‘superstar’
New Arsenal managing director to begin work
At the turn of the year, Arsenal announced that Venkatesham would be leaving his post at the end of season.
Venkatesham’s successor in the Emirates Boardroom was later named as Richard Garlick, who was until recently the club’s director of football operations.
Garlick will also inherity Venkatesham’s seat on the influential European Club Association’s exeuctive board.
Although the 47-year-old likely assumed control immediately after Venkatesham’s departure, ‘s Matt Hughes has now reported that Garlick has officially begun his new post.
Among the responsibilities of a managing director are the strategic oversight, negotiation and financial management of transfers both in and out of the club.
Since Venkatesham’s first transfer window as chairman in January 2021, Arsenal’s headline net spend on recruitment has been over £500m.
That gives a sense of the responsibility that Garlick, a layer by trade, has taken on.
What are Richard Garlick’s top priorities at Arsenal?
As well as helping to deliver success on the pitch, Garlic’s likely number one priority will be to oversee an increase in commercial income.
The Gunners reported commercial income of £173m in their last set of accounts, an impressive figure in isolation but one that is comfortably the lowest in the so-called Big Six.
That figure will rise in 2024-25 thanks to their new training ground naming rights deal with Sobha Realty, as well as the continuing success of Arsenal’s commercial alliance with Adidas.
Granted, their falling behind in terms of commercial income in recent years is partly attributable to their absence from the Champions League, but it will still be a concern to Garlick and his peers.
The Kroenke regime want Arsenal to be a self-sufficient business, so every penny they raise in commercial income will likely go back into the club – into the transfer budget and other expenses.