Kieran McGuire has claimed that Arsenal were ‘very lucky’ to agree a four-year deal worth £40 Million with Visit Rwanda.
It was announced this week that we had extended our previous agreement with the company on the same terms as our previous agreement, seeing our side pocket a tidy £40 Million to have their brand on our shirts, as well as in other areas within the stadium.
Financial expert McGuire insists that we are lucky to strike such a deal however given our recent seasonal performances.
“Arsenal are very lucky,” he told the Football Insider. “They are a club that is in danger of becoming detached financially from the top four.
“We have seen Stan Kroenke loosen the purse strings. But in the Premier League, you have to run to stand still.
“At the moment, they are running at half a length behind some of the other clubs. They have a lot of catching up to do.
“From my point of view, it is difficult to see the financial benefit to Rwanda for this. Decisions are not being made for marketing or tourism reasons. It seems like a vanity project to me.“
I can’t help but agree with Kieran. Not only are we unable to offer European football to enhance the profile of the club, as well as the sponsorship value, but our loss to Brentford last Friday also highlights our inconsistencies which we have become all-too accustomed to in recent terms.
There is no guarantee that our side will be able to return to the European competitions in the near future either, and it almost feels like the Rwandan President is investing in the deal in order to help the club, with his recent social media posts highlighting how strongly he feels about Arsenal FC.
Are Visit Rwanda losing out because of our failure to qualify for Europe, or would the agreement have been inflated if we were to be playing in Europe still?
Patrick