Stan Kroenke apparently claims that he wants to make Arsenal a ‘European force’ amid reports that Alisher Usmanov is preparing a second bid.
- Usmanov owns ~30% of Arsenal; Kroenke owns ~66%
- Russian has no place on Arsenal board and has been kept at arm’s length by club
- Attempted £1bn takeover recently – values the club at almost £1.6bn
- Kroenke wants to oversee Arsenal’s return to former glory
The past 24 hours have seen Usmanov reportedly put in a £1bn bid to buy Arsenal from majority shareholder Stan Kroenke, which the American sports club owner rejected; Kroenke then pledge his allegiance to the Gunners, all while Usmanov apparently prepares another bid, which he’s ready to increase to £2bn.
According to John Cross from the Mirror, Stan’s not going to budge, with the BBC’s David Ornstein also saying that it’s allegedly not about the money.
Apparently, Stan wants to oversee Arsenal’s return to glory, help them win the Premier League and make them a force in Europe.
Re Usmanov bid, Kroenke has reiterated long-term commitment to Arsenal, says aim is to win PL & make #AFC a force in Europe, not about money
— David Ornstein (@bbcsport_david) May 20, 2017
Kroenke appears to be in this for the long haul. Ornstein and Cross’ ‘sources’ are usually pretty reliable when it comes to these kind of Arsenal stories.
Whether the American actually has the club’s best interests at heart? I’m skeptical.