Maybe there are some Arsenal fans out there who think that the owner of our beloved club, or should I say major shareholder as that is the official way to describe the American billionaire Stan Kroenke, is doing a bang up job in the way he runs Arsenal Football Club.
Once again I should correct myself as it is not ‘the silent one’ who actually runs the club but those yellow animated characters of his that do the actual running of things. Oops another mistake, that is Despicable Me I am thinking of, but most of us will see the connection and forgive the confusion.
So like I said there may be some Gooners fully behind Mr. Kroenke for all I know, I just have not met any of them and the opinion I get from Arsenal fans is that the best thing that could happen to Arsenal is for someone to buy him out and start running our club as if winning the Premier League title was a realistic goal rather than something to dream about but not really do anything about.
The only realistic contender for this position was the club’s second biggest shareholder Alisher Usmanov, so when it was reported this week that Kroenke was trying to buy the Russian’s Arsenal shares it was extremely worrying. Good news has been reported by Metro today, though, because Usmanov has refused to sell.
Usmanov said, ‘In recent days there has been speculation relating to a possible offer for my 30% stake in Arsenal.
‘As part of that I can understand the anxiety that these rumours are causing to the fans as reflected by the Arsenal Supporters Trust.
‘In light of this, I would like to be clear that I am not holding any talks with Mr Kroenke about a sale.
‘My interest in Arsenal from the beginning was long term and my intention has always been to buy additional shares should they become available.
‘This I did with the purchase of the stake of my business partner Farhad Moshiri with which I increased my shareholding from 13% to 30%, and also with my proposed offer for the stake of the majority shareholder which valued the Club at some £2bn. That offer remains valid today.
‘I have always been and will continue to be an ardent supporter of Arsenal and I see my 30% stake as an important aspect in protecting the best interests of the fans in the club.
‘It has been well documented that I have no say in the running of the club, that my views differ from those of the majority shareholder and that I would take a different approach to delivering footballing success.
‘I would like to assure supporters that I am open to various future scenarios – a constructive partnership with the majority shareholder, the purchase of his stake either alone or in a consortium, or if a party appears who shares my and undoubtedly the majority of fans’ visions for the club, I could consider the question of selling my stake.’
Well thank fork for that is all I can say. Now how about turning the tables and offering Kroenke enough money to persuade him to sell?
Bob.