Ivan Gazidis vows to give Arsene Wenger 'send-off the world will take notice of'

James Benge20 April 2018

Ivan Gazidis vowed to give Arsene Wenger “a send-off the world will take notice of” as Arsenal prepare for the departure of their manager of 22 years.

Arsenal confirmed on Friday that Wenger would leave at the end of the season, with the Frenchman announcing his decision to the Arsenal squad moments before it was announced early this morning.

Wenger will have only three more home games in which to bid farewell to the Emirates Stadium, the ground he led the club to in 2006 after inspiring them to eight years of great success after his initial appointment in October 1996, starting with the visit of West Ham on Sunday.

His final home game as Arsenal manager will be against Burnley on May 6 and, though he refused to go into any detail on his plans, Gazidis vowed to give Wenger a fond farewell.

“We’re working on plans,” Gazidis said. “West Ham on Sunday will be a great atmosphere. Thursday [the Europa League semi-final first leg against Atletico Madrid] will be electric.

“The Burnley game will be a send-off the world will take notice of.”

Though Gazidis was reluctant to discuss the specifics around Wenger’s departure he offered a glowing tribute to the Arsenal manager in a pre-prepared statement he read before taking questions from a packed press conference.

“Arsene changed the game,” Gazidis said. “He set a totally new standard. A new ambition. An ambition not just to win, but to win while achieving perfection. To make art out of football.

“And he was always brave enough to be true to that extraordinary ambition and incredibly he achieved it with Arsenal’s Invincibles season. People these days use the words ‘football philosophy’ lightly.

“But Arsene truly has a football philosophy and he’s been brave enough to live by it and in doing that he’s reinvented the game and played some of the best football we’ve ever seen.

“He’s transformed the beautiful game and has made Arsenal famous throughout the world for the style of football we play. Arsenal fans take enormous pride in that. And for that we say, ‘Thank you, Arsene.’

“Our first priority is to come together as a club and we’re seeing that today. Look at the outpouring from the Arsenal family and from the football family. Our players, staff and fans are behind this great man and we will give him the send-off he deserves.”

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