In an exclusive interview for BigSoccer.com, Ollie Irish talks Beckham, Wenger and more with Arsenal's new chief executive (not to mention the former deputy commissioner of MLS).



BigSoccer: What's surprised you most about your new position at Arsenal?

Ivan Gazidis: I don't think there have been any great surprises. I've been pleasantly surprised by the position the club is in. The more I learn about it [Arsenal] and the more I understand, the more impressed I am. But I don't think it's been dramatically different to what I expected when I took the job.

BS: Are you having fun?

IG: Absolutely! It's great fun. It's also an unbelievable privilege and a superb opportunity. But I had fun at MLS too - MLS was an unbelievable place to work. They're both wonderful jobs in different ways.

BS: How much raw salesmanship does your new job require?

IG: There's no less salesmanship [than in MLS]. The basic skill sets are the same. It's a slightly different challenge. It's taking something that's 100 years old and thinking about taking it to the next level. That's different from taking something from scratch and thinking about how to develop it. Arsenal's heritage is definitely a benefit.

BS: What do you miss most about MLS?

IG: The people. I have some very long friendships there, with some wonderful people - people I respect professionally but also have wonderful friendships with. Seeing those people day in, day out is something I miss.

BS: Can the Premier League learn from MLS?

I think the Premier League believes they can - otherwise I wouldn't have been hired! And I certainly do. MLS is a superb modern sports business and a rapidly developing league that Europe looks to for learning, absolutely.

BS: Did you leave MLS in good shape?

IG: I think MLS is in terrific shape, but I felt - and I still feel - as if I got off the train as it was leaving the station. There's no regret in there - I knew what I was doing.

BS: Do you believe there's a growing appetite for soccer in America?

IG: I'm convinced of it, but also the empirical evidence is there. The recent US v Mexico game got the largest Spanish-language viewing audience in history, I believe. So in terms of your question, we've moved beyond the realm of opinion. The issue for MLS is to make itself relevant to the very large soccer audience that exists in north America, and the league is making great progress there - look at Toronto and Seattle, for example. The landscape is changing far more quickly than many people understand.

BS: Do you think David Beckham overshadows that progress?

IG: MLS doesn't rise and fall on David Beckham. It stands on its own two feet. He is a significant piece of the jigsaw but he's only one piece. Nobody would believe that any league around the world has its fortunes pegged to one player. There's far more happening in Major League Soccer than just David Beckham. I don't say that with a sense of frustration - it's understandable that the world is very focused on the Beckham news story.

BS: What are your early impressions of Arsene Wenger?

IG: I've been really impressed. He very, very visionary, intelligent and inspirational. You don't get to do the things that Arsene Wenger has done in the game without being an extraordinary individual. And he is.

BS: Is Wenger the right manager to lead Arsenal to the next level?

IG: I think he is [pause]… yes.

BS: Do you watch Arsenal regularly?

IG: Yeah, I go to all the games.

BS: What's your verdict on the season so far?

IG: We have a young team that's continuing to develop. The team's getting better and better - it's capable of playing at the very highest level, but with young players I guess consistency is always an issue. We're unbeaten in the league since November of last year and we're conceding very few goals. Our trouble has been finding the right fluency going forward. But we have a tremendously talented group of young players who we believe in. I think you're seeing them coming through, learning week to week. Typically of Arsene's teams, the finish to the season will be strong.

BS: Which Arsenal players do you enjoy watching most?

IG: I'm not going to answer that, Ollie - I'm reluctant to go down the route of issuing judgements on a club that I've been with for two months.

BS: Could a salary cap work in the Premier League?

IG: There's a lot of discussion about it. There are some cultural challenges given the history of the game here. But before you get to the question of whether it would be culturally acceptable, practically there are some enormous questions about how you could enforce it. Football is a global sport with players all around the world. How could you enforce a salary cap against players in Brazil? Or a team in Spain or Italy? There are practical issues which may be an insurmountable hurdle.

BS: Is the dominance of the Premier League's 'big four' clubs a bad thing?

IG: Well the league has developed tremendously over the last decade, so whatever it's doing, it's getting something right. It's producing football that people want to see. As long as people want to see it, the formula must be pretty good.

BS: How difficult is it to balance financial stability with the need to win trophies?

IG: I think the two go together. You'll struggle to be successful unless you have financial stability. It's self-evident that financial instability is not going to be sustainable over the long-term.

BS: Do you stand by your earlier comments in which you compared the Premier League to the 'wild west'?

IG: Well, what I was saying in that interview was that you're operating in Europe without a safety net. The clubs don't have salary caps, and you also have a promotion and relegation system - both of those factors, and others, produce a significant amount of unpredictability. My comment about it being like the wild west was about operating in that infrastructure.

BS: Do you think Michel Platini and Sepp Blatter are more critical of the Premier League than other showcase European leagues?

IG: I'm not going to comment on Michel or Sepp.

BS: Do English football clubs have any responsibility to field English players?

IG: I don't think it's positive for the game to move towards a system where nationality governs where you can play football. I don't think that would be good for the game in England, or in Europe generally. I don't think it would be good for African or South American players either. Football's development should be based on merit. Re-introducing nationalism and quota systems into the club game does not develop better players - there's no evidence of that. Nor does it establish more parity. What is likely to happen with a quota system is that the players who are protected will be signed by the biggest and best teams. Big clubs like Arsenal and Manchester United will find ways to be competitive, in whichever environment they operate. It's more important to invest in player development, not to impose arbitrary quotas.

BS: You mention African players… do you think it's incumbent on football to deal with the exploitational trade in young African footballers?

IG: Football has a responsibility to act ethically. Absolutely. But I don't think the answers to those questions are simple. If we think that quotas, for example, are going to regulate the treatment of African players… [pause], I don't think that's the way to deal with it. Quotas mean that African players will remain in Africa. I'm not so sure that will prevent abuses - the way to prevent abuse is to regulate and enforce against them.

BS: What do you remember of the two times you played at Wembley? (Ivan twice played for Oxford University against Cambridge at Wembley, but was on the losing side both times)

IG: Given the results, as little as possible! No, they were fantastic experiences, memories I'll treasure forever. To play at the old Wembley was just a huge privilege, and a lot of fun.

BS: Finally, what's your main goal for Arsenal?

IG: This is a club that needs to establish itself as the world's leading club. That's what we aim to be. That's a challenge. If we were there already, then there would be no challenges left.


Check back tomorrow for my opinion on what Ivan did - and didn't - have to say…