With some Arsenal fans thinking that Daniel Ek is yet another billionaire who is all talk and no action when it comes to saving their club from the hands of Stan Kroenke, the Spotify CEO has revealed that he now has the money to buy the club.
The Swedish billionaire wants to rescue Arsenal from Kroenke as the American owner continues to face protests from the fans to sell up.
His decision to join the proposed European Super League has damaged the small reputation that he had among the fans and they want him to leave.
Ek claimed last week that he would buy the team if Kroenke agreed to sell it and naysayers thought it was probably just a publicity stunt.
He has now revealed that he is serious and has even secured the funding to conclude the purchase.
He spoke publicly on CNBC today and reiterated his desire to become the club’s next owner.
“I’ve been an Arsenal fan since I was eight years old,” he said via ESPN.
“Arsenal is my team. I love the history, I love the players and of course I love the fans.
“So as I look at that, I see a tremendous opportunity to set a real vision for the club to bring it back to its glory. I want to establish trust with fan and I want to engage with fans again. I am very serious.
“I have secured the funds for it and I want to bring what I think is a very compelling offer to the owners and I hope they hear me out.”
Yes he’s secured the funds (loans) but how much of it will be put on the club as depts?
I’m not a fan of rumours but this particular tussle for ownership is certainly an eye-raiser. EK made his intentions public before it is even done which is bizarre as many has mentioned here.
Maybe… just maybe, he knows Kroenke will not sell hence making his offer public to get the backing of the infuriated fans. The fans will increase pressure on Kroenke that will play into EK’s takeover quest.
Interesting to see how things unfold from here. Again, I won’t hope for anything until it’s truly done.
I said it from the get-go, he definitely needs the fans to help if this highly unlikely venture is ever going to get over the line…of course, it could be just a savvy marketing campaign, which certainly isn’t uncommon when you’re a business that is fundamentally dependent upon the subscription model…the interesting part about this particular set of circumstances is that it’s been attracting a lot of attention overseas, which isn’t always the case…that said, it could either mean this is a serious attempt to purchase the club or that this just shows how something like this could be a very effective marketing gimmick for Spotify…it might be intriguing to find out how many new customers have signed up since this story first emerged