FFT goes behind the scenes at Arsenal
442 Staff - Tuesday 04 December 2012, 18:03
As the debate continues over the future of Arsenal, the new issue of FourFourTwo goes behind the scenes to explore how the club is run.
The January issue - on sale Wednesday December 5 - goes behind the scenes at Emirates Stadium for a 14-page investigation into the famous old club, currently 10th in the Premier League after their worst season start to a season since 1994.
FourFourTwo spent a month at the club with unprecedented access, conducting several in-depth interviews with manager Arsene Wenger, chief executive Ivan Gazidis, director Ken Friar, youth development head Liam Brady, captain Thomas Vermaelen and players Mikel Arteta, Santi Cazorla and Kieran Gibbs.
The picture that emerges is of a club perfectly aware of the problems it faces in a league featuring some of the world's heaviest-spending teams: "I assume the alternative strategy is to spend more than the nation state of Abu Dhabi, if you can call that a strategy," says Gazidis.
Wenger readily admits that he feels the responsibility – "I always feel under pressure to deliver" – and is aware that there might be different methods of running the club. "I always question: can we be successful doing it this way? By managing the club within its own resources?"
The new issue of FourFourTwo is out on Wednesday December 5
BEHIND THE SCENES FourFourTwo spends a month with Arsene, Ivan and co.
IN THE NEW FFT Our Top 100, the Little Witch and Arsenal's masterplan