Arsenal finally have right structure in place for Champions League return, says Vinai Venkatesham

Arsenal chief executive Vinai Venkatesham believes the club finally have the right structure to get back into the Champions League, after years of change following the departure of Arsene Wenger.

The Frenchman left Arsenal in 2018 and since then the club’s hierarchy has reshuffled numerous times, with chief executive Ivan Gazidis, head of recruitment Sven Mislintat and, just last month, head of football Raul Sanllehi all leaving.

Arsenal now believe, though, they have the right structure in place and said yesterday Mikel Arteta’s role will shift from head coach to first-team manager.

The change in job title is an indication of the Spaniard’s growing influence since he took charge in December. Arteta and technical director Edu will now work closely on all matters surrounding the first team.

Venkatesham’s expertise will mainly focus on off-field areas. He said: “There has been lots of change, so I think what the club needs going forward is stability.

“This is the right structure for the club. We need to get back as a Champions League club, but it can’t be the final destination, because we want to compete for the Premier League.

“And, of course, [we want to] do that in the Arsenal way — by playing entertaining football that our fans want to see and also giving young players a chance.

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