It was announced yesterday that Ivan Gazidis will leave his role as the CEO of AC Milan when his contract expires on December 5 of this year.
La Gazzetta dello Sport have written about Gazidis and his ‘reserved’ farewell, a video message in which he thanked the Milan fans, a quiet and straightforward statement announcing that from 5 December he will no longer be the CEO of the Rossoneri.
Despite often seeming to be out of the public eye, there have been strong decisions made by Gazidis, especially commercial ones, combined with some interviews between English and Italian to reassure the fans about the modus operandi of the club, just like he did at Arsenal.
According to the 2018 Deloitte Football Money League, the Gunners finished sixth ahead of PSG and Chelsea. Arsenal’s turnover increased from €263m to €487m, with a staff of 600 employees. The new stadium and the TV rights of the Premier League influenced that a lot, but Gazidis had a hand too.
His name is a guarantee of healthier financial accounts and that is why he was chosen by Elliott Management back in 2018. In one of the first days in the city he walked from the Navigli to San Siro on the advice of his Italian teacher. It too about three hours, but it helped him get to grips with his new home.
During his time with Milan he fought and won the battle against throat cancer. In 2021 he spent several months in New York to get treatment, then he returned to San Siro to celebrate the Scudetto.
Milan’s improvement came off the field too as the club’s value grew by 35% compared to last year. In 2020, according to the European Elite, the club were 19th in value, while it is now close to the top 10. Also since 2020, the club have signed 27 new partnerships, and the overseas brand has grown by 76% in the last 18 months.
Gazidis leaves after four years, and in his last interview he spoke about the new stadium: “I am confident that the project will start in 2023.”
From getting rid of the expensive contracts to building a successful youth project with Maldini and Massara which has seen the likes of Theo Hernandez, Leao, Bennacer, Tomori and Kalulu emerge among others. The departures of Calhanoglu, Kessie and Donnarumma showed a firmness to stick to the vision.
There have been criticisms of course, but Gazidis will now entrust the future of the club to Pioli, Maldini and Massara. He has always said that they are special, and now they will continue without him. Milan says goodbye to a manager, but earns a fan.
One thing he failed at: building the new stadium. But I wouldn’t hold it against him as it’s due to the corrupted bureaucracy of Milan.