Arsenal

Ivan Gazidis: 'Arsene Wenger will get sponsorship money'

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 23 November 2012

Gazidis: 'Wenger will get sponsorship money'

Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis claims that the club's extended sponsorship deal with Emirates will provide manager Arsene Wenger with more resources.

Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis has claimed that Arsene Wenger will be given a chunk of the money brought in by a new sponsorship deal.

The Gunners extended their partnership with Emirates Airlines this morning in a deal worth £150m, and Gazidis claims that the deal was made for footballing reasons.

The Arsenal board has been criticised for not providing Wenger with enough money to compete for trophies in recent years, but Gazidis insists that the Frenchman will have more resources to play with due to the deal.

"The deal is all about football. It is all about giving us the resources in what we believe is a responsible and well-managed way, to be able to invest in what we put onto the pitch for our fans," said Gazidis.

"We have been able to talk to Emirates about the payment terms and bring some of them forwards, so that we will have additional money in this financial year which will be able to invest in the summer.

"Those decisions on investment are made by our manager, and he has done an outstanding job of managing the resources of the club over time, and we expect that to continue, but he will have more resources available."

The deal sees Emirates retain their shirt sponsorship until the end of the 2018-19 season, while their name will continue to adorn the Arsenal stadium until 2028.