Nov. 26 (Bloomberg) -- English Premier League soccer club Arsenal appointed Ivan Gazidis, deputy commissioner of Major League Soccer, as its chief executive officer.

The 44-year-old Gazidis, who was born in South Africa and raised in England, will start in January, the north London club said in a statement.

Arsenal has struggled to fill the CEO post since Keith Edelman quit as managing director in May. The team failed to make any big name signings before the season, and has slipped to fifth place in the top English league. Gazidis joined MLS in 1994 and is responsible for negotiating transfer and employment contracts of all players as well as managing the league’s day-to-day affairs.

“We wanted a good person to manage the club on the business side and I think we eventually came to think that a man with football experience was going to be fairly important,” Arsenal Chairman Peter Hill-Wood said in an interview with Arsenal TV. “And he certainly fills that gap for us very well.”

The past 10 days have not been good for Arsene Wenger’s squad. Two consecutive losses have dropped it 10 points behind league leaders Chelsea and Liverpool.

Struggles

Then captain William Gallas criticized his teammates in a media interview and was left out of the 3-0 loss at Manchester City last weekend. Wenger stripped the defender of the captaincy and gave it to Cesc Fabregas, who made his first game as skipper a memorable one by setting up the goal in last night’s 1-0 over Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League.

“Arsenal is a unique club in the world, a very historic club that carries a rich tradition for me,” Gazidis told Arsenal TV. “For me, there really wasn’t another opportunity that I could look at that could possibly be as exciting as this one.”

Gazidis’s appointment comes two months after U.S. billionaire Stan Kroenke, owner of MLS team Colorado Rapids, was appointed to the club’s board.

Gazidis was also president of the international division of MLS’s marketing arm -- Soccer United Marketing -- between 2002 and 2006 where he developed U.S. tours for the England national team, Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Big Business

Hill-Wood said that while football was still the most important aspect at the club, business was also a major part and Gazidis’s background will aid him in both areas.

“We have a pretty big business, a turnover of over 200 million pounds ($305 million) a year and it does need a good business brain to oversee all that,” he said. “I think he will find that challenging, but I’m certain will fulfill the role extremely well.”

Gazidis moved to England when he was four and graduated from Oxford University in 1986 with a Master’s Degree in Law. While at Oxford, he was twice awarded a soccer “Blue,” playing against Cambridge University at Wembley Stadium in 1984 and 1985. He worked as a corporate lawyer in London and Los Angeles until 1994, when he was recruited by MLS.

He oversees all aspects of MLS competition, including stadium events, security issues and player, coaching and refereeing matters, Arsenal said in a statement.

“This is not going to be an American coming in with no understanding of Arsenal looking to make it a Disneyfied version of Arsenal Football Club,” Gazidis said. “This is an Englishman who grew up with the game, who had a deep understanding of Arsenal Football Club and is looking to provide modern sports business practices, but at the same time, providing custodianship for the traditions of the club and for the benefit of the fans.”

Arsenal last night advanced from the Champions League group stages. It has lost three of its past four Premier League games to slip behind Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Aston Villa.

To contact the reporter on this story: Grant Clark in Singapore at gclark@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: November 26, 2008 08:08 EST