Gazidis was a CEO with no real authority at Arsenal, because Arsène had Silent Stan's ear. As long as we kept qualifying for the Champions League, there was nothing Gazidis could do about it, although it must have chafed. Arsène was also happy to take all the brickbats and fan

rage, and at AGMs, he'd front up. However, once we failed to qualify for the CL that first year, Gazidis was able to pounce. I can imagine the argument he made to Stan. "Arsène's time was done, the league had caught on to him, etc." and Stan finally decided to give Gazidis the

power he'd long craved. The atrocious away form in Arsène's last season helped cement his case. So, in came Sven and Raul, and out came that blatantly tipped-off photo of them in Germany on their way to sign Aubameyang. A clear statement from Gazidis as to who was now in charge

Arsène announced his departure, and Gazidis released the nauseating, cloying, simpering statement I'm sure Arsène was talking about when he said he no longer had to wonder about what people would say at his funeral. So, Arsène was out, and the Gazidis team was now in full control

And then, something very odd happened. Having fought for control of the club for years, having seen off the legacy manager and Arsenal institution that was Arsène Wenger, and having hired a "Head Coach" who would be more amenable to having close to zero authority in Unai Emery,

Gazidis inexplicably quit Arsenal and moved to take over at AC Milan. The prize he'd battled for was in his hands, CEO and undisputed top dog at one of the biggest clubs in world, and he quit? That would be like using all your skills to get a supermodel to let you hit it and

then at the moment when she's in your bed, just like you dreamed, naked and willing, you decide to go have a wank in a cold toilet instead.
It was the ultimate expression of cold feet. As if Gazidis, finally having gotten what he wanted, realised he wasn't actually up to the job

Sure, he talked a good game, but suddenly, with everything now on his shoulders, and no more Arsène to act as the rage magnet, he realised he'd have to back it up, and he just couldn't do it. So, he fucked off to Milan, and left Raul and Sven suddenly staring at a power vacuum.

Those almost immediately went at it, and Raul came out on top, and Sven, his role quickly and greatly diminished, found himself out in the cold. Less than two years after being a key player in the successful move to oust Wenger, he was out himself, and back in Germany.

That left Raul as the top football man at the club, and soon it was apparent that his most important move, convincing Stan to go with Emery instead of Arteta, was misfiring badly. Results were abysmal, performances were worse, and the identity of the club was rapidly eroding.

Instead of cutting bait, admitting that Emery was a bust and moving on, he stubbornly clung on, at one point advocating for a contract extension for the misfit coach. Ultimately, even Stan had seen enough, and Emery was out. What followed was an even greater shambles.

Everyone and their dog knew Mikel Arteta was the man for the job, and had almost gotten it the last time around, but for Raul's sudden championing of his friend, Arturo Canales' client. So, after parting ways with Emery, instead of simply going back to the original first choice,

Raul and co stumbled around for weeks before finally appointing Arteta, nigh 18 months late.
Arteta has grown in the job, speaking with an authority far beyond the title of "Head Coach" and now that Raul has also found himself cast out with questions over his deals at the club,

Arteta finds himself in a rather odd position. For years, all the pundits and armchair experts have sworn that the "Manager" was a dead position (much like the so-called "effete Number 10") and so, clubs are now hiring head coaches whose job focus is solely training and match day

Recruitment and other ancillary matters would be handled at executive level, based on some input from the coaching staff. However, the coaching staff did not determine who was signed, but only allowed to state positions of interest. As Emery would later complain, he often didn't

get the players he wanted. He wanted Steven N'Zonzi, and Arsenal signed Lucas Torreira. He wanted Wilfred Zaha, and Arsenal signed Nicholas Pepe. Such things did not happen to Managers, and Emery's eventual chafing about these events raises questions as to what authority HE was

promised upon joining the club. And he certainly did not have a direct line to the owner, as he had to deal only with Raul and Vinai. However, it has now emerged that Mikel Arteta does have a direct line to Silent Stan, and is expected to work with Edu on recruitment and so on.

This is a departure from the committee that replaced Gazidis, and is perhaps an indicator that things might be heading back in the managerial direction. Perhaps Arteta has been instructed to learn all he can from Edu, before the latter is also let go and the roles consolidated.

With the new football season commencing in a little under two weeks, the coming weeks and months will be interesting to watch. And hopefully, not in a way that makes rival fans ask what they're smoking over at the Emirates.