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Manchester City's boardroom boost as owner Thaksin Shinawatra clinches signing of a Nike guy
Last updated at 22:26pm on 02.05.08Manchester City will announce the impressive boardroom signing of one of Nike's senior sports marketing executives to run the club.
Owner Thaksin Shinawatra has moved to offer Garry Cook the position of executive chairman with the brief to turn City into a Barclays Premier League superpower.
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Grin and tonic: Thaksin Shinawatra boosting the boardroom
Thaksin wanted a British supremo with an understanding of football to take the post and American-based Cook is a long-standing Birmingham fan. City will also appoint a new manager to replace Sven Goran Eriksson and invest in new players this summer, including at least one 'box office' signing.
Cook will have the responsibility of overseeing City's budget, including their player recruitment programme and expanding their global appeal, specifically across America and Asia where he has expertise of marketing the Nike brand.
Cook, 45, has worked in the sports industry for 22 years and is president of Nike's Brand Jordan, where he has worked closely with basketball legend Michael Jordan. Brand Jordan sales have helped Nike become the world's No 1 seller of sports shoes.
Sources in America claimed last night that Jordan himself had tried to persuade the Birmingham-born businessman not to leave the company.
Cook has worked for Nike in a variety of roles for the past 12 years but has now agreed a three-year contract at the City of Manchester Stadium. He expects to take up his new position by the start of next season after working a short notice period.
Highly-rated chief executive Alistair Macintosh will report directly to Cook as City set up a new management structure.
One Nike source said: 'For Garry to leave such a key position here, Manchester City must be an attractive project. We tried to keep him, but this is not about money. Clearly, they must have a great deal of ambition. This guy is a serious operator, a class act.'
Luring Cook from Nike will be seen by industry insiders as a great coup for City and ends their worldwide search for a powerful senior figure to take the club to the next level.
The Nike source added: 'Garry is his own man. He has vast experience of working in the UK, as well as leading Nike's sales force in Africa, the Middle East and Europe. The company will wish him well.'
Cook also has experience of working alongside leading sports personalities and City hope his appointment will help them in their pursuit of high profile signings.
Ronaldinho, for instance, has been in talks with City's current board through his brother and agent, who recently visited the club. The Brazilian is one of Nike's leading football ambassadors.
It promises to be a busy summer for City, with Portugal manager Luiz Felipe 'Big Phil' Scolari leading the way to replace Eriksson, who expects to be sacked following a boardroom review of the season.
Eriksson, who could move to Benfica, still has support among City fans.
An online petition has been set up that has already attracted more than 4,000 signatures in 48 hours demanding that the owner has a rethink and a protest is planned for City's game at Liverpool on Sunday.
Meanwhile, it has been revealed that City captain Richard Dunne and other senior players had to be persuaded by Eriksson not to boycott their summer tour to the Far East.
