Ivan Gazidis Reveals Arsenal’s Process In Hiring Unai Emery

Ivan Gazidis has shed some light on Arsenal’s search for Arsene Wenger’s replacement and why Unai Emery got the job (via Arsenal.com).

Ivan Gazidis has been central to Arsenal’s search for Arsene Wenger’s replacement and today, it has become official.

Unai Emery has been confirmed as the club’s new head coach, shocking many who thought that Mikel Arteta was destined for the hot seat.

At the official unveiling, Gazidis spoke at length about the selection process and gave some insight into why Emery was chosen.

He revealed that there was a three-person committee comprising of Sven Mislintat, Raul Sanllehi and himself to select a manager based on three criteria.

To play progressive, entertaining football, to have a personality which met with Arsenal’s values, and a history of developing young players

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In this basis, an eight-person shortlist was finalised and that all candidates were approached and were interested in the position. All took part in negotiations and none of them withdrew their applications.

The first face-to-face interview took place on 25 April with the final one on 15 May. Unai Emery himself was interviewed on 10 May and the three-person committee made a unanimous recommendation to the board on 18 May accompanied with a 100-page dossier.

Emery, Mislintat, Gazidis and Sanllehi then flew to Atlanta on Monday to meet with the Kroenkes before coming back to London on Tuesday night.

Gazidis said that the club received third-party recommendations on Emery but it was the personal meeting which really impressed Arsenal.

Arsenal’s chief executive revealed that Emery had “an analysis of every individual player, their qualities and how he expects them to develop,” along with an in-depth knowledge of the off-field team.

It’s a fascinating first-hand account from Ivan Gazidis into how Arsenal settled on Unai Emery. The new head coach has clearly got the backing of everyone in the Arsenal hierarchy and will hopefully make a big impression in the coming months.