Aliko Dangote should just stop talking until he is ready to buy Arsenal. by Lagos Gooner
As a Nigerian, I would be happy if Dangote finally buys Arsenal but knowing how we believe more in words than action in Nigeria, I don’t believe the richest man in Africa is ready or even planning to buy Arsenal. Dangote should please stop raising the hopes of Arsenal fans that seriously want Kroenke out and just do what he has to do!
Just yesterday, it was all over the internet that Dangote said he was going to take over Arsenal in 2021. I read this story on a lot of sport websites, but just because I won’t have time and space to quote them all, I will like to quote what the Daily mail wrote concerning this latest development.
“The richest man in Africa, Aliko Dangote, has revealed his plans to buy Arsenal in 2021, with the billionaire Gunners fan determined to oust absentee owner Stan Kroenke. The Nigerian boasts a net worth of more than £8.5billion and made his fortune after founding Dangote Cement, Africa’s largest cement producer – with the 62-year-old also owning stakes in publicly-traded salt, sugar and flour manufacturing companies. He had promised a takeover bid in 2020, but with his Dangote Refinery – set to be one of the world’s largest oil refineries – still in construction, he has moved the date back.”
For the past five years, Aliko Dangote has never hidden his desire to buy Arsenal. In fact, every year, he seems to say things to make people believe he was really serious about buying Arsenal. However, my annoyance with him is that he keeps saying he was not yet ready to buy the club until he had completed his $20billion worth of projects!
‘It is a team that yes I would like to buy some day, but what I keep saying is we have $20billion worth of projects and that’s what I really want to concentrate on,’ Dangote told the David Rubenstein Show. ‘I’m trying to finish building the company and then after we finish, maybe some time in 2021 we can.
“I’m not buying Arsenal right now; I’m buying Arsenal when I finish all these projects, because I’m trying to take the company to the next level.”
Mr Dangote, please stop saying you will buy Arsenal when you are not really ready to buy Arsenal. I know you are a successful business with a lot of money but what we need at Arsenal right now, is a man who is ready to take up the reins at Arsenal and turn things around. Stop promising us and whetting our appetite please.
A lot of Arsenal fans would welcome a change in ownership at Arsenal; every Arsenal fan has given up on the current owners, but until you are really ready to buy Arsenal, please stop saying you will buy Arsenal. You have been teasing us the fans since 2015 and we have had enough. Show us some action please, will you?
We are Arsenal and we are proud.
Sylvester Kwentua
Sorry but I find this post disrespectful.
Sylvester, you of all people should know everybody can express themselves and their feelings, as you do that constantly with your articles.
The man is a businessman. a very clever one at that, but also he’s been an Arsenal fan since his early days.
If he keeps professing his intentions, I think you should keep quiet and just watch instead of putting an article like this asking him to shut up till he buys.
It’s not as though the man keeps procrastinating without working, you’re a Nigerian, and you should know the completion of his refinery was delayed after the last equipment he needed took over six months on sea.
Has he been working? Yes.
Is he really building a refinery a d one of the world’s largest? Yes.
Is it completed ? No?
The plan was to finish up the project 2019 and invest in Arsenal 2020.
The project got shifted back a bit and was delayed, and would be completed and running this year. So he came out to clear and state it publicly to let the world know of his intentions that though he promised to buy Arsenal this year, he would have to do it next year. With good and solid reasons also, I believe that’s honesty and requires balls?
He could’ve kept quiet, and let the year pass, hoping people don’t remind him of his words but he cleared the ground himself and all you could do is undermine his intentions?
Come on, if the man had no genuine reasons, I’ll side with you and I’ll understand your point, but he has solid reasons.
I think you should be satisfied he gave more clarity instead of pretending and avoiding the truth.
You human beings can never get satisfied no matter what people do
@Eddie
Thank you for the Real Talk.
Eddie. I’m absolutely with you on this one. The major problem Arsenal as a club has is us fan. We are so entitled. We think we deserve everything and our opinions should be accepted despite we change it often.
Mobella, not only are you correct regarding your views on Eddies post…you make a great point yourself… some of our fans are “entitled”, thinking that we deserve everything.
That’s because we have had everything, until silent stan took over…now we are reaping the “benefits” of ex board members selling out the club for their own selfish gains.
I have no concerns who/ where/ what/ makes this man the person he is – after witnessing the antics of the those abovementioned and so called Arsenal people, knowing that he has come out to clarify his situation…I know who I would call a supporter of the club.
I agree that he has to show some actions instead of just talking, but that’s what politicians do
I don’t think he can do it though, because Kroenke wouldn’t sell Arsenal cheaply
He won’t buy Arsenal, similarly he never transferred the $5 million into my bank account he promised in an email I received recently😉
@GB
EPIC… 😂😂😂😂
I agree with the article and strongly disagree with Eddies view, above mine. Of coure alL are fully entitled to state their intention but in pracise and in the real business world, multi billionaires do NOT publicly and several times state what they intend to do in the near future. Silent Stan if far from alone, among the super rich in being “silent”. In fact that is the norm! They either just do it or they do not. That is the reality of how the business world works at that level, as I know from my own personal experience of working in high finance, albeit in a different field entirely.
I am extremely doubtful that any Dangote bid will be serious and even forthcoming at all. Super rich men just do not act in the way he has; not if they are serious! Hope I am wrong, as he seems to be a real Arsenal fan and in life you never know for sure!
Jon I do understand your point, but I made a few points in my comments and I’d like to ask you again, to know what your view.
Is it true he’s building a refinery, one of the world’s largest??
Is it true it was meant to be completed earlier on but there were some delays?
Is it true he stated in the last he would try to buy Arsenal this year?
Is it true he needs to complete his refinery first before diving into sports?
If all your answers are YES, then please tell me what’s wrong in him coming out to clear the air as to why he wouldn’t buy it this year as planned?
Tell me why he shouldn’t have come out to say the reason for the holdup?
P.S: I’m not really excited or buzzing bout anything, as I believe even if he gets Stan to sell, it might end up in disappointment for both Arsenal and Dangote since everything’s a risk.
Glad to answer Eddie. It all comes down to precisely that multi lillionaires do not say what they plan to do. They either just do it, generally without any publicity at all, which could interrupt negotiations, OR they do not buy. What you say about Dangotes current business interests appear to be true from my own cursory investigations, but I have close expereince of working under very rich, people though perhaps not in his financial league and secrecy is their watchword. There is nothing to be gained, from his perspective, in explanations to fellow fans- and I do not doubt he is a real fan, so hope he will buy us, but just think it will not happen – and premature advertising of his possible intentions would tend to drive the price up not down. No Eddie, I know that multi billionaires are swift and silent, just like Silent Stan. And I do not mean to sound arrogant when I add that I will back my judgement, just as I do successfully, in the long run, in my own professional betting. I rarely follow the herd. I fervently hope I am wrong and that Dangote does buy us but I AM ALSO PREPARED TO PUT MONEY ON THAT HE WILL FAIL OR NOT EVEN SERIOUSLY TRY.
The truth is until he actually make a bid and actually persues buying Arsenal, he is waffling and talking baseless rubbish. Put a bid in and then what he says can be believed but the truth is Kronk isnt in a rush to sell and i only see a bid way way higher than Arsenal is worth even moving Kronk. Baseless futile words as far as i am concerned.
Would Kroenke who for a good money offered to him by Usmanov to sell his 67% stake in Arsenal to him for over $2m, but was refused on the ground that his investment in Arsenal which has now gone up to 100% stake ownership after acquiring other people’s stakes in the club including those belonging to Usmanov is for the longtime benefit to the Kroenkes (the family) but not just for his own personal self benefit now take a U-turn to sell to Dangote? What amount of money will Dangote offer to Kroenke to buy Arsenal from him in excess of the over $3m that is what Arsenal FC now cost Kroenke to own according to reports that will tempt Kroenke to sell Arsenal to Dangote? Well I don’t want to speculate but us will see when Dangote makes good of his ambition to own Arsenal in year 2021. And hopefully he will have no cause to further shift the date forward.
Samuel, you need to change the values from millions to billions.
My opinion as a Nigerian is Dangote is missing a very pertinent factor in his desire to buy Arsenal and that is, is the current owner willing to sell the club anytime from now. If it is yes/no talking about his desire every now and then will make it impossible for him to actualize his dream as this might annoy Stan. Though I’m not sure he does this. Maybe he was asked one time and he said he would love to as a fan just like Usmanov did and the rest the media toying with us.
The kronke family won’t be selling. Usmanov tried and failed with moshi so why is this guy going to succeed. I also agree with comments that serious businessmen don’t state what they intend to do in years to come only announcing intention when it’s realistic and a bid is imminent. How about an interest free loan to the club for £300 million instead as we could do with a transfer budget
If you understand finance in football, that is not allowed.