Although Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban had its premiere in the United Kingdom, Gilbert was unable to attend the event in person.
However, that summer, Gilbert still made a trip to England to prepare for a signing ceremony with Arsenal's upper management.
That year, Arsenal once again dominated the Premier League, claiming the league title with a commanding lead. They also won the FA Cup, completing a season double.
Unfortunately, the team was knocked out of the UEFA Champions League, and Professor Wenger's dream of lifting the European trophy remained unfulfilled.
After the season ended, Arsenal's board officially announced to the public that Hollywood director Gilbert, by virtue of his majority shares, had become the Chairman of Arsenal Football Club.
The news immediately sparked celebration among Arsenal fans.
Chelsea had their billionaire owner, Abramovich; now the Gunners had their own wealthy backer. Gilbert was no less affluent.
Earlier, Gilbert had promised that if he were to take over Arsenal, he would provide no less than £200 million annually in transfer funds. Arsenal fans were eager to see what Professor Wenger could achieve with such a generous budget.
On June 18, Gilbert's private jet landed at London International Airport. Arsenal's executives escorted him to his hotel for rest.
On June 19, under the watchful eyes of the club's directors, fan representatives, and live coverage by Sky Sports, Gilbert and Arsenal's shareholder representatives signed the official agreement and posed for photos.
When both sides exchanged contracts and took their commemorative photos, thunderous applause filled the venue. Across homes and pubs where Arsenal fans gathered, cheers and applause erupted, welcoming their new club owner.
Soon after, Gilbert, as the new chairman, reappointed key personnel such as the club's general manager and sporting director.
To avoid any internal instability that could affect the team, Gilbert refrained from making sweeping changes to the management team, retaining most of the existing staff.
He only replaced the chief financial officer with his own trusted person and created a new position—Director of Club Development.
This position did not hold any major operational duties; its main role was to work alongside the marketing department to expand Arsenal's presence in Asian and American markets.
More importantly, this post acted as Gilbert's "eyes and ears" within the club. Since he couldn't personally oversee every detail, having this position ensured he could be kept informed of developments at any time.
Later, Gilbert addressed the fans directly, reaffirming all his earlier promises.
He pledged that the club would soon have a large, modern stadium, and that transfer spending would remain strong each year to maintain Arsenal's competitiveness in the Champions League.
The new owner appeared sincere and dependable, filling Arsenal fans with excitement and hope for a brighter future.
Meanwhile, supporters of their archrivals Tottenham Hotspur could only grit their teeth. "So what if they got a rich owner? What's there to brag about?"
Manchester United fans were equally frustrated, calling on their management to increase transfer spending and stop limiting Sir Alex Ferguson's transfer decisions.
Other clubs, too, sensed the winds of change sweeping through the Premier League. They hurriedly checked their budgets, fearing they'd fall behind if they didn't increase investment.
Perhaps the only fans who remained calm were those of Chelsea, as their club had already secured Abramovich—a wealthy owner of their own.
Professor Wenger and club captain Patrick Vieira both attended the signing ceremony. Afterward, Gilbert offered some encouraging words to Vieira, urging him to reassure and unite the team's core players.
Following the event, Gilbert held a private, hour-long discussion with Wenger to hear his plans for the team's future.
"I'm a patient man," Gilbert said. "I'm not expecting immediate results. I hope, Professor, that you can build the squad according to your own vision and aim for the Champions League."
Wenger nodded in understanding. "Don't worry. I already have a plan. Our youth players are very promising.
The core lineup still has a few good years left. With some fine-tuning, we'll have the strength to challenge for the Champions League."
Gilbert chuckled. "Of course. But don't be too frugal, either. Feel free to splash some cash on big-name stars—you never know which one might actually come.
And even if they don't, at least you'll help raise the market price a little. Consider it doing a good deed!"
Wenger was momentarily speechless—he hadn't expected the new owner to be this cunning. Still, he found himself liking Gilbert's approach; after all, it matched his own style.
Meanwhile, inside Manchester United's office, Sir Alex Ferguson had just finished watching Sky Sports' live coverage of Arsenal's signing ceremony. He sighed, realizing that his old rival Wenger was about to rise again.
His assistant remarked, "Looks like there'll be a bloodbath in this year's transfer market."
"Yes," Ferguson replied gravely, his expression tightening. "Hurry and notify the transfer department. Finalize the deals I requested as soon as possible.
Once Wenger starts moving, it's going to get complicated."
"But… surely not that soon?" the assistant asked, doubtful.
"Don't you know him by now?" Ferguson snapped. "Go! Handle a few of those transfers personally."
The assistant had no choice but to rush off to the transfer department at a brisk pace.
After the signing ceremony, since it was the off-season and the players were on vacation, Gilbert didn't meet them in person. Still, accompanied by Arsenal's senior management, he toured the club's Colney Training Centre.
"Colney Training Centre was designed and built under Professor Wenger's personal supervision," explained Steve Braddock, the facility manager, his voice filled with pride. "It features ten standard football pitches, each identical in size and quality to Highbury's turf.
Each field is equipped with automatic irrigation and drainage systems to ensure the grass's health. The two pitches used by the first team even have under-soil heating, so the turf remains in perfect condition during winter."
Braddock spoke with visible pride—Colney was widely regarded as the best training facility in the entire Premier League, superior even to Manchester United's.
As for Chelsea, their new owner Abramovich had already complained that their training base was outdated and ordered a full renovation.
Although Gilbert didn't know much about football or training operations, he found the Colney Training Centre's serene and well-kept environment quite pleasant.
He then toured the administrative building, which contained six adjustable-size meeting rooms, a sauna, an adjustable-depth swimming pool, a gym, treatment rooms, massage rooms, and a restaurant.
In addition to players and coaches, the base employed two full-time gardeners, ten groundskeepers, four nutritionists, three building administrators, coaching assistants, and youth-team assistants, all working to maintain the facility.
Before Colney's construction, Arsenal had trained at the University of London Students' Union grounds, which had served as the club's training base since 1961.
And before that, Arsenal players could only train inside the Highbury Stadium itself.
In the years before the club's management decided to renovate the old stadium, players even had to carry weights and run along the coal-dust-covered path between the stadium and the nearby subway station as part of their training.
In the development of the new training base, Professor Wenger played an extremely important role.
In fact, almost the entire planning and design of this facility were personally overseen by Wenger and his think tank.
Under Gary Lewin's coaching team, they had already become highly skilled in utilizing the base to conduct key training programs.
Meanwhile, fitness coach Tony Colbert maintained close relations with the British Association of Sports Rehabilitation, and his gym was fully equipped to help players maintain peak physical condition.
Although the Colney Training Base might not yet rival La Masia or Valdebebas, it was still one of the most modern and advanced training facilities in all of Europe.
While Gilbert was touring the Colney Training Base, the outside world was already in an uproar over the completed signing ceremony.
All of European football had long known that Gilbert was planning to take over Arsenal. From the first rumors at the end of last year to the official signing now, it had taken just over half a year — an efficiency that impressed everyone.
The English Football Association quickly issued a statement welcoming Gilbert to the Premier League family. Even Prince Charles extended his greetings, welcoming Gilbert to participate in the great sport of football as a club owner.
However, Prince Charles was somewhat regretful — he had originally tried to persuade Gilbert to purchase Burnley instead.
If Gilbert had bought Burnley, with sufficient financial backing, the club could have developed into a far stronger side.
The media gave extensive coverage to the signing ceremony, and football experts began analyzing how the power dynamics of the sport might shift.
With both Gilbert and Abramovich entering the scene, it seemed that the football world was heading toward a new money-driven era.
In response, The Guardian interviewed Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who expressed his deep disapproval of such spending sprees.
"Football is a competitive sport, not a game of money…" the old man said angrily before turning away.
When Professor Wenger heard about it, he said to his assistant, "Alex is just jealous of me. Go find out what transfers Manchester United are working on."
The assistant asked, "Are we planning to steal their targets?"
Wenger smirked, "Would I ever want the same players he does? Just drive up the price a little. If he wants them, he should pay for them!"
The assistant was speechless. In truth, Wenger and Ferguson had a decent relationship — both were red wine enthusiasts and collectors. For Wenger's last birthday, Ferguson had even gifted him one of his treasured bottles.
But once it came to football, the two were like lifelong rivals, never willing to yield an inch.
It wasn't hard to imagine that Wenger's little stunt this time would have Ferguson swearing in his office again.
Beyond the British media and domestic fans, other European leagues and their audiences were also paying close attention to Arsenal's changes.
The Spanish press mocked their English counterparts, claiming that letting an American director who knew nothing about football take over Arsenal was a bad move.
But when they heard about Arsenal's transfer budget exceeding £200 million, the Spanish media could only react with envy and resentment.
Italian sports media were more objective. Major outlets like La Gazzetta dello Sport and Corriere dello Sport published balanced analyses of how Europe's football landscape might shift in the future.
In any case, the balance of power in both English and European football had clearly changed.
.....
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