He may be known around the world as our chief executive, but Ivan Gazidis is first and foremost a football fan - and he is hugely excited about the "passion and energy" Unai Emery will deliver.



The Spaniard was appointed as our new head coach on Wednesday, and will work closely with Ivan over the coming weeks and months to get us ready for the season ahead.



"The hard work starts right now," Gazidis told Arsenal Player. "We are right into the transfer window of course, but we’re also into many other things such as how we’re going to integrate his team, how we think about pre-season planning, how the teams are going to work together.



"There’s a lot of work to be done now to integrate this new team into our existing team. I know that we can do that successfully but it’s going to take hard work through the summer.



"There’s been obviously a lot of question marks as we’ve gone through this period of transition over recent weeks but now it’s really time to look forward as a football club.

Play video Watch Arsenal video online 01:08 Watch Unai's arrival at Emirates Stadium



"I am really excited about Unai’s appointment. I feel he’s a great fit for our football club. His value set, the way he conducts himself is really Arsenal class.



"Underneath that, you’ve got all of the technical side that he brings to the table and then on top of it all, which our fans will connect with, is this passion for the game and this energy. Once he brings that into the Emirates and into the Premier League, our fans are going to feel electrified by it.



"We don’t know what the journey will hold exactly, and there will certainly be ups and downs, but I think our fans will appreciate the commitment and the passion that we’re bringing to this effort and I think they’ll be behind us on this journey.



"I’m convinced that if we as a club are together and remember our motto, Victoria Concordia Crescit - Victory Through Harmony - I’m convinced that the sky is the limit for us."