Gazidis - There’s hunger for us to tour again

By Giuseppe Muro

Ivan Gazidis says there is hunger for another long-distance pre-season trip following the massive success of the Club’s tour of Asia.

Arsenal’s week-long stay in the Far East captured the imagination of fans and players alike, allowing the Premier League stars to engage with supporters halfway across the world as well as giving fans an opportunity to watch their heroes in action.

Off the pitch, the tour of Malaysia and China helped spread the Arsenal name and, while admitting that nothing has been decided yet, Gazidis feels similar tours could be on the horizon.

“I certainly don't think it can be a one-off,” said the Chief Executive. “I do think we have to regularly go out and engage in this way. You can see the hunger for it. We'll see. We haven't done our debrief yet.

“There are so many things that I think this tour has delivered. First of all an engagement with what we have all seen is a massive international fanbase. You can see what it means to these people. When you see the fans we have here, it is impossible to say they are not Arsenal fans. That engagement has been remarkable.

“I think another thing, for the players, [is that] the atmosphere in the team has been really, really good as well. This has been an incredibly positive and uplifting experience. It's a great place to be.

“I also think from the point of view of our preparation and our focus for the season, it has been tremendously positive as well. I think Arsène has had a positive experience.

“There are some technical aspects that you lose. You lose two days travel for a start. In terms of all the metrics and science of preparation, you probably wouldn't say it is ideal but there are incredible intangibles that you gain from it.

“And I think having done it, we have seen many of those intangibles become more tangible.”