Tim Lewis was offered a non-executive position at Arsenal before leaving the club, according to a report.
News broke last week that Arsenal executive vice-chair Tim Lewis would be leaving the club, with Richard Garlick becoming the new CEO and other Kroenke Sports & Entertainment representatives being appointed to the board.
But before Lewis left the club, James McNicholas reports for The Athletic that the 62-year-old was offered a non-executive position at Arsenal.
McNicholas adds that those who know Lewis say he was never likely to accept that demotion, so perhaps it could be argued that the offer was a token gesture to someone who was always going to leave in these circumstances.
In addition to Lewis’ departure and Garlick’s promotion, film producer and director Ben Winston is joining the board as a non-executive director, as are KSE’s Kelly Blaha and Otto Maly and KSE advisor Dave Steiner.
The changes were a surprise to outsiders, with Lewis having been a key player in Arsenal’s summer transfer window. Working alongside Andrea Berta and Mikel Arteta, he played a significant role in deals like the signing of Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace.
But internally, McNicholas reports that new board appointments have been in the works for some time.
It’s always hard to say exactly how influential any one person has been behind the scenes at Arsenal. But Lewis’ appointment to the board in 2020 coincided with an upturn at the club, after a couple of years of floundering following Arsene Wenger’s departure.
It’s a big move to part ways with one of the driving forces behind those positive changes, and the pressure is now on KSE to prove that it was a good decision.