The signing of Petr Cech for Arsenal, and the transfers of Alexis Sanchez, Meseut Ozil and Santi Cazorla which preceded it, show that gone are the days of signing Sebastian Squilacci, Johan Djourou and Park Chu-young. Arsenal CEO, Ivan Gazidis, was partly blamed for a string of bad transfers, and a lack of desire when it came to spending big money. He was blamed then, but seems to be forgotten now when Arsenal make good transfers. So, has Ivan Gazidis restored his reputation and how has he done it?

Arsenal were previously seen as a selling club, with Manchester City and Barcelona being the main recipients of Arsenal's star players over the seasons. Players like Abebayor, Fabregas and van Persie all left Arsenal for higher wages at other clubs, and they replacements weren't really bought. Gazidis was under fire for the players being sold, but not as much as Arsene Wenger or the players themselves for leaving.

The tag of "selling club" is one that is difficult to get rid off and Gazidis has, even if no one has credited him for it. The last major player to leave Arsenal to rivals was van Persie, when he left to Manchester United three years ago, so the selling club label seems to have gone. This is partly down to Gazidis, but is more likely to be attributed to the players not wanting to leave the club, with the ambition now shown by the lack convincing them to stay. 

Gazidis is a factor in Arsenal's change of transfer policy

This ambition manifests itself as something that Arsenal's CEO has some influence over, transfers. The signings of Cazorla, Ozil, Sanchez and now Cech shows that Arsenal transfer policy has changed and that they can buy top players. Wenger gets a huge amount of credit for making these transfers, but Gazidis and chief negotiator, Dick Law, get little appreciation. In some cases they may not have masterminded the transfers, although recent rumours suggest that Gazidis pushed through the Cech deal with Wenger happy to stay with Ospina and Szczesny

These top players that Arsenal have brought in have brought success with them, two successive FA Cups show that Arsenal are finally back to winning ways. 

Spending big did restore part of Gazidis' reputation, but buying right did as well. Whether Gazidis has a huge influence over transfer targets is unknown, but he does buy players for around the right price. Some would say the transfers of Ozil, and maybe Welbeck, were a little over pieced but many of the deals he has done have been very good value. 

Gazidis has become more of a shroud operator 

Many of Arsenal's transfers in the past have been seen as poor, and many never performed in the Premier League. Signings like Andre Santos, Park Chu-young and Sebastain Squilacci cost a combined £15 million, and none ever performed. These poor transfers, which brought about a lack of success, gave Gazdis the nickname "Ivan the Terrible", something that he new found transfer acumen seems to have shaken off.

Despite the distinct lack of vocal praise from Arsenal fans, Gazidis has rescued his reputation. People no longer complain about him as they once did, and although praise may not be obvious, he is now far more respected by Arsenal fans. 

After spending £9 million net in 10 years, Arsenal were under fire. They sold their best players, and lost appetite for silverware. In that time Arsenal remained competitive and built a world class football stadium. 10 successive Champions League qualifications later, Arsenal pushed on and made big money signings which brought success.

Despite Gazidis not being the sole reason for Arsenal's slight decline, it can only be said that the times when Arsenal were selling their best players and remaining competitive showed great a management from both Gazidis and Wenger. He shared part of the blame then, he should be credited with part of the newfound success now. 

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