This has been a season many would want to forget, considering what has gone, or should I say hasn’t gone for us these last few months, as well as over the years.
Stan Kroenke’s apparent reluctance to give the club the funds it needs to excel has been the major issue for some time. The money available to Arsene Wenger often falls short of what is required to acquire a world class talent we so desperately need. As a result, fans have been calling for the American to either spend or leave the club. But when you look at his recent history with the clubs he owns, it will show he is a really loyal and stubborn man.
With our recent cries for some financial assistance not being answered, should Stan consider selling his shares since he isn’t backing the club?
Over the weekend, reports suggested there is interest from a Middle Eastern consortium ready to make a potential £1.5 billion pound bid for Arsenal, which is double what the clubs value was two years ago. This would relieve Kroenke of his duties, who holds 66.83% of the club’s shares of his role as owner since his £430 million-plus takeover back in April 2011.
The potential buyers are set to reduce ticket prices which have been a cause for concern for quite some time as well as look to keep key players from leaving and ultimately clearing the clubs £250 million debt all in one swoop. But all this lingers on how we do come May. Champions League football will be the key factor to this going or falling through.
But not all glitter is gold. I for one would not be keen on letting the club fall into the hands of another billionaire only to turn us into his play toy. Sure the money issues would end, but killing the way the club has been run for years is a rather large price to pay.
Reportedly, Kroenke has no interest in selling, and rightly so. Uzbek oil magnate Alisher Usmanov, who holds a 29.96% stake in the club, is believed to be similarly reluctant to consider cashing in as well.
Arsenal communications director Mark Gonnella said on the subject:
‘There has been no contact from any potential investors.
‘Stan Kroenke is committed to Arsenal for the long term and has no intention of selling his stake.’
The only reason I side with Kroenke now, despite my obvious need like other fans for him to fork out cash, is down to the fact that we have no idea who this reported buyer is and what their motives are. We all want to see the club spend money but do we really want to become what we as fans despise the most? Do we really want to become another Manchester City and Chelsea?
Financial fair play is about to kick in, and with the FA throwing in their own set of conditions, we are perfectly poised to pounce on future opportunities. This, if I’m not mistaken, will also see the drop in the current over inflated player prices. But I’m hoping in future the club will do something about the high ticket prices. I can only imagine spending such a large sum only to see nothing in terms of progress over the last eight years. It could all be down to the club trying to rid itself of its debt. We’ve built a state of the art stadium in a very short period of time and that takes a toll. You only have to look at Old Trafford which took years to complete with Manchester United going through a trophy drought themselves as a result.
The future looks bright for us, especially if all the financial controls come to pass and the reported £70 million transfer kitty made available to Wenger this summer is fictional.
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hang the AKB 🙂
we need the takeover because we are no longer a big team,selling are best players and not replacing them wtf.and wenger needs kicked out,he was great but now hes killing arsenal and not letting steve bould do his job because when bould did do his thing at the start of the season the defence was amazing,now that stubburn wenger has stopped his bit our defence is all over the place/i welcome the arab takeover and want tight arse stan gone
i can’t beleive this….70 million transfer kitty where have you been the last couple years…they have turned us into a selling mid table team WE NEED CHANGE
Kroenke is wanker
We most definetly do not need the takeover. I understand things aren’t good at the moment and who knows who’s fault it is but what is up with all these people who want to sell our club and history down the river at the drop of a hat just because they’re not getting there way.
I’ve got 2 boys and I want to take them to The Arsenal – a club with a rich history partly owned by fans and NOT the plaything of one individual – for the next 20 years.
All this talk about killing the club is idiotic – with our ground, history, traditions and location there is no way we’ll ever be 2nd string.
We might go through tough times (like now) but the good times will return and they’lll be that much sweeter because we are a football club that’s done it the hard way. Spuds, pool, Everton, hell even Chelsea would love to be in our position with our setup ( witness the petty squabbling over the Olympic stadium).
Be peeved if you must but keep the faith
Good points,cogently and coherently argued.I am agreed with you tazza .
fake fans…look like some of you dont want to see arsenal win a trophy and remain a big club okay then lets continue trophyless,eight years of drought will turn into eighteen years and by then who will remember the history or the clubs tradition.Where is the so once great nottingham forest or what are they called.And our children wont even support the team infact kids of nowadays arent even giving arsenal a first thought let a lone a second thought when it comes to supporting,they all want join the winning teams.
If you are interested in celebrating trophies go and support real AND barca and then your thirst for silverware will be slaked.If not,follow your team!
You obviously aren’t local and obviously aren’t opening your eyes.. If what you say is true they’d be no leagues in Britain. It would just be top four in a euro league as no one would support other teams. Have you forgotten man city were in 2nd div recently? Like the famous man said “do you support Arsenal or do you support Arsenal when they’re winning trophies?” Most sensible footie fans are the former.
i guess we will have to agree to disagree….i’m still supporting arsenal and we have not won any trophies in a while…i’m just sick at the direction we are taking….why are we selling all our world class players? we have become a mid table team…i understand what you guys are saying, but where do you draw the line…kroenke will bleed this team dry….he is only interested in making more money[ high ticket prices ] we will spend 70 million…we would’nt have to but over the last few years we have broken up what was a world class team by selling our best and replacing them with lesser players..this pains me andi still can’t understand how we sold our best player to our arch rival…do you think these people care