There’s an extraordinary story in the news today that an Arsenal supporting tech billionaire has teamed up with three of the greatest Invincibles to attempt to buy out Stan Kroenke and take over our club.
Daniel Ek, a Swede, is a founder of the music streaming service Spotify and reportedly has a personal fortune of £3.9 billion. Spotify itself is worth nearly £60 billion.
According to the Daily Telegraph: “Ek is working with Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira, three key members of Arsenal’s 2003/04 Invincible team, on a bid to take control of the Gunners.
“If Ek is successful, then it is understood Henry, Bergkamp and Vieira could all return to Arsenal to be part of the new set-up, with their knowledge of the club and the fan-base already proving invaluable to his plans.”
Ek sent out the following message on Twitter: “As a kid growing up, I’ve cheered for @Arsenal as long as I can remember. If KSE would like to sell Arsenal I’d be happy to throw my hat in the ring.”
The move comes just a few days after the ignominious collapse of the ill-fated European Super League in which Kroenke Sports Entertainment was heavily involved.
Thousands of fans gathered outside the Emirates before our game with Everton on Friday night to hammer home the “Kroenke Out” message.
The involvement of Bergkamp, Henry and Vieira carries huge emotional weight and the fact that Ek is a genuine Arsenal fan is a big plus.
It’s been too long since we had owners who share the supporters’ passion for Arsenal.
There is no indication that KSE has any interest in selling up, but with the fans almost unanimously against them and the damage they have taken from their involvement with the ESL, perhaps the time is right.
Bring it on, is my view.
We need to redouble our efforts with the “Kroenke Out” campaign and pile on as much pressure as possible in the hope that the Americans will decide it’s just not worth the reputational damage to maintain their ownership.
RockyLives
Arsenal News 24/7
arsenalarsenal.net 
Good Lord, the New Post – New Post is a New Post – Eeeeek
(Are you trying to give Susie Q the runaround? )
I would be delighted if we had a change from Kroenke, Rocky.
I had a glance at News Now a little earlier and noticed Ormstein, who allegedly has good contacts with Arsenal, had said he had no doubt that Kroenke would not be selling Arsenal, as it was the diamond (?) in his sports portfolio.
Two very different options at pretty much the same time. Bugger.
Hi Red, two posts in one day, we are being spoiled, thanks again Rock.
Stan isn’t a genius but he is quite lucky and he’s remorseless, he just keeps going until the other guy gives up or he gets his way so he’s not shifting anytime soon I reckon.
AST seem to be the guys organising the protests and if so then they’ll need to dig in for a long campaign I suspect.
I think it’s unlikely Stan will sell but…
The combination of bad publicity and a fan campaign combined with the debts he incurred building a new stadium in LA may just tempt him to cash in his asset.
Particularly since the collapse of the European Super League idea must have made a huge dent in his financial plans for Arsenal. If the ESL had gone ahead we’d have been given over £3 billion!
Far from being the jewel in KSE’s crown, Arsenal is a seriously depreciating asset.
With a relatively small amount of investment from KSE over the years we might have maintained our position in the top four and Champs League and our value would be considerably greater.
Bad management by Stan and his team has cost them money as far as Arsenal is concerned and maybe they will after all be tempted to sell.
Stan doesn’t react well to bad publicity it seems, empty seats in the Emirates did for both Arsene and Unai and the ‘We Care Do You’ campaign definitely touched a nerve, so there is hope especially if sponsors start to get twitchy.
Unfortunately StanK doesn’t give two bob about anybody’s views. He will milk the Arsenal cow for as much as he can get away with.
He’s funded the LA stadium to the tune of £5 billion. He doesn’t use his own money, so chances are he has used Arsenal as collateral to finance the build.
I’m really not sure how we shift this muppet out of Arsenal.
Why oh why did David Dein invite him in the first place? Foolish
Thanks Rocky,
It sounds like the best news for ages. I wish it would be true and would happen soon. But it wouldn’t be an instant hit would it? We are long way away from the top.
I don’t think Dein invited Kroenke, Pete.
As I wrote yesterday, Kroenke initially bought his 1st tranche of Arsenal shares when Sky had to sell their shareholding.
He personally, as we were told at the time, did not have any connection with Kroenke and bought Hill Woods shares and then sold some shares to Fizman and the others to Red and White Holdings.
The other director/shareholders were the ones who sold out to Kroenke. Money.
Kev,
You are correct — billionaires dance to a tune no one without at least £1,000,000,000 could understand, as they can do what they want when they want, and ‘minions’ like the club’s fans can do sod all about that.
On the other hand, if he paid me £500,000 to do a pre-match strip tease, I would take it, and pay Rocky £10,000 to do it for me. Wos wrong wiv that? 🤪
I’d pay 50p to see that Redders 😀
Surely a Swede, Thierry, Dennis and Patrick has got to be better than an American with no heart.
He is, allegedly, only worth 3.5 billion and the Kroenkes might want 2billion, so might be another involved.
#KROENKEOUT…..EE, BYE, EK IN.
RA
You will have to go back home if you are going to “dingle and dangle”! The natives will be scared off.
If I had 3.5bil and could buy Arsenal for 2bil leaving me with just a measly 1.5bil, I would do it. With just 1.5bil left, I couldnt afford to fly over to support the team and i would have to keep driving my 17yr old bmw but heck, there is more to life than billions in your bank account.
On a serious note, will this news boost the teams performance against Villarreal?
Folarin Balogun signs new long-term contract.
Woah, Balogun signing… the thought of a 6ft 7in American streaking at the Emirates – the excitement is too much for me 😂😂
Excellent news about Balogun! Well done to Edu and Mikel!
As for the Ek story, I hope it is true and materializes. In the end, it could be an arrangement whereby Ek invests Spotify’s funds in the club…who knows?
If Ek came with some of our clubs’ legends, I d like him to also brining in a) Seaman or Lehman for GKs, b) Campbell for Defenders, c) Overmars as part of the management team.
I also hope that if Vieira and Henry come, they do not come with the idea of being Head coach right away. Arteta should be given at least until December 2021.
Over the last 2 weeks I feel like I have fallen down a hole and have landed in the middle of the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.
LB
You fell down a hole and ended up in Luton? Strange.
Here you go RA (from Arsenal History):
David Dein has a lot to answer for…
“It’s well-known that Stan Kroenke was introduced to Arsenal by David Dein, whose thinking was that Kroenke’s money could help Arsenal compete with the newly rich Chelsea, who were benefitting from Roman Abramovich’s billions. It is understood that Dein brokered the deal between Granada and Kroenke, with the view that Kroenke could take over the club and make cash available to cover Arsenal through the potentially tricky period between building the new stadium and finishing the redevelopment of Highbury and other sites linked to the property deals. Bear in mind that this was still before the financial crisis, and the club expected to easily make eight-figure profits from the property development. Kroenke bought Granada Media’s 6,216 shares (9.99%) and by the end of May 2007 he held 7,584 (12.2%). He’d bought 659 of these from Danny Fiszman, who’d decided to round his holding down to exactly 15,000 shares. It’s believed that Fiszman didn’t realise at the time he was selling to Kroenke and was not pleased about it.
At this stage Kroenke was still not welcomed by the rest of the Arsenal Board, who considered Dein had gone behind their backs. This was one reason for a falling-out between old friends Dein and Fiszman. As a result Dein was dismissed from the Board of directors in April 2007.
As a parting shot to Dein and his intentions, Peter Hill-Wood famously said: “Call me old-fashioned but we don’t need Kroenke’s money and we don’t want his sort.”
No Balogun for the U23s tonight – surely he’ll be on the bench on Thursday..
Fair enough, Pete,
What a magnificent interview with Thierry and Arsene tonight at the induction into the Hall of Fame.
Thanks Rocky. Like every like minded Gooner, I’d love to see Dan Dek Stan …. but all this has achieved is to push the price up in SK’s mind. We have to hope that Kroenke has some kind of financial crisis that means he needs to release funds because appealing to his heart or good nature is as much good as totnum building a trophy cabinet.
Whilst Kroenke will probably decide to sit on the asset it is already worth far more than he paid for it, it I think will take a longer term view at some point. These people are about money if he thinks the best time to sell is now then he will do so to crystallise his already handsome gain.
However Yanks are a funny breed and they don’t like to admit defeat or failure especially the really wealthy ones, so we could I fear he in for a long drawn out fight to get the club in to safer hands.
And whilst Dan Ek is a supporter and has the wealth does he know anything about running football? I guess we could get a nice sponsorship deal from Spotify and the pre match music may be better!
In other news this article raised an eyebrow this morning:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56893990
It alleges that Woodward met with No10s Chief of Staff on 14 April ahead of the timed announcement of ESL. The Sunday Times alleges that discussions were held and Woodward was told No 10 would not object.
No 10 has denied this (naturally the current incumbents and their ministers are quite good at a bit of denial), but my suspicion is that they are lying (also another trait they are good at).
We all know No 10 is leakier than a sieve these days and it was interesting that we ended up waiting all day for the announcement about the ESL following BBC reports that it was expected to be announced later in the day. Bearing in mind the amount of people involved in this deal and that there had been not a cough or mention of it prior to the Sunday of the announcement yet on the day suddenly there was talk of it, I call BS on the government, they either saw it as an opportunity to take the side of the fans after the announcement and gave Woodward no reason to stop, or more likely with this shower it sounded like a good idea until they saw the fall out and changed their tune in favour of the court of public opinion.
GiE
“Piles of bodies”, piles of undeclared sleazy money, piles of lies. Boris’s piles are getting itchier by the day.
This is my thoughts on yesterday post
I personally find willock should be our starting CM next to party, something I mentioned since last season why having the likes of xhaka create the same set of mistake, I would always take someone like willock to make those mistake and learn from it
AMN I know he been playing in his favorite position but hasn’t created much scoring chances besides that penalty weekend don’t get me wrong he looks great playing midfield but I still think AMN should be our RB cause he Can’t score (maybe he will learn in time) and make decent pass (although am judging him on key mistake he made early on in his loan spell) AMN jas played more minutes than willock and has less attacking return. If AMN was to play in midfield maybe it can be as a CDM, not CM
But I think dey both deserve a starting spot next season so willock for CM alongside partey and AMN at RB
I think a huge message need to be sent when supporters are allowed to games on the last day of the season by not attending
Good thoughts, Fred
I think Willock might be kept unless £20+ offered. But Partey should be partnered by Bissouma of Brighton.
Think Ainsley is gone myself. Not good enough as a right back.
Why Bissouma LBG arent dey the same type of player, i remember someone saying Partey plays better with and attacking player that why i was thinking Willock should be his partner
Pete I thought dein invited the Russian
Bench sue I hope he starts candidates stand seeing Eddie anymore sorry to say
i am so amaze how shit VAR is they give Balbuena a straight red card which is rescinded after appeal why couldn’t dey make the current call during the game steups
So before the team selection guesses begin, my hat is in the ring.
Please Mikel dont select Luiz, Aubameyang or Willian and give Balogun a go to bamboozle Unai. Good ebening!
The “Beast” is arising slowly….but not today Mikel. Get him ready to slay the Roman threat.
RC
Arsene thinks they “mentally collapsed”. But you can get PSG at 11-1 to win Champions League. I would predict a comeback at Maine Road.
No pre- match?
Arsenal are playing their most important game of the season so far against Villarreal tonight. Villarreal are Spanish and managed by Unai Emery who will be aiming to make Arsenal regret sacking him. Emery has a phenomenal record in the Europa Cup.
Santi Cazorla used to play for both teams and he wants Arsenal to win (liar liar, pants on fire!)
Best I can do without having to be serious.
COYG.
AFC can do it!
Score 2 goals and be happy.
Arsenal lineup vs Villarreal: Leno; Chambers, Holding, Mari, Xhaka; Partey, Ceballos; Saka, Odegaard, Smith Rowe; Pepe #AFC
Bench: Ryan, Okonkwo, Bellerin, Gabriel, Willian, Aubameyang, Cedric, Luiz, Nelson, Elneny, Nketiah, Martinelli
I bet Pepe doesnt ” lead the line”.
Is it our Coquelin on the oppo bench?
3511 is how BBC have set up team. Cant believe that. Moreno on right wing, definitely against Xhaka.
I can’t believe that after all these years a minor tweek can still get my blood racing, “Pepe to lead the line” where did that come from and yet, we all know that there is a really good team in there seemingly dying to get out, is this it, could this be it.
It will be a sad day when I lose this sense of excitement.
“Moreno is danger”….sorry, scrambled brain.
LBG
Innocent question: what do you mean that Pepe won’t lead the line, do you mean that he is not capable or that someone else will do so?
Nice looking team. I love the idea of Pepe leading the line. Come on you Gunners!
Oh dear
Oh very dear.
Any half decent keeper would have come and claimed that … Leno started to come and then retreated to his line. More hesitancy from him costing us a goal.
Perhaps a bit far out for Leno to take control.
We look bog average. At best.
Yep, the gulf in collective talent is cavernous.
I tried my best to get excited about Pepe but as things stand I think he would struggle to get on their bench.
I so want Arteta to come good and at Arsenal. But hes really making it difficult to see him at Arsenal next season.
He hasnt got a clue what his best team is, he chops and changes all the effing time and yet despite that, he insists on picking Xhaka week in week out!!
We have a good team in this squad somewhere!
But again, players like Ceballos aint part of that team, or shouldnt be!
And how sad and predictable that we sold Martinez ( at Araenal for years) in favour of Leno.
One day well get it right.
Wont we?
GiE would have to give his verdict on Leno and that goal … Seaman would definitely have claimed it and bulldozed any opposition player in his way.
If your main number 9 can’t even travel you don’t really have choice but to change things round. Or am I missing something?
LB
Sorry for slow response. Felt Pepe would not be left centrally up front. Smith-Rowe more obviously in this position.
Oppo full backs having too much space. Too much space between midfield and back four. Emery 451 defensive set now.
Need someone to produce a bit of genius- my money is on Saka. I feel Martinelli needs a chance to show his ability. Why not play him centrally up front. This half will be all us trying to break them down. Genius required.
Ceballos can f*** off back to Spain.
Ceballos has been a liability for months. The fact Arteta keeps picking him is fucking bizarre to say the least.
Oh well, the Giro starts soon………………..
Whatever happens now, we must not let another goal in.
Leno in goal…..great……Xhaka the cart horse at left back.
Two ex-Totteringham players causing much pain.
Xhaka, Dani and El Neny together in any combination is sloth.
The slowest player in their squad lounged his way into the box to help make that 1st goal.
All down hill from there.
I’m happy … but he scuffed it 😂
Oh ello
Pepe!!
Oh ello
Pepe!!!
That’s even things up!!
Both totnum players off injured 😂
Just imagine Auba cones on with 5 mins to go and scores…
Well, we’re still in it.
Not too disappointed. First goal next week. Tierney in.No Ceballos. Perhaps Laca.
Must say, Leno’s save kept us in it. 3-0 and we were out.
No injuries on Sunday. Rest the workers Mikel. Give Balogun, Nelson and Azeez a game.COYG.
Rocky,
Barely………….
If pitch was not so slippery and Auba finished, can you imagine?
A 1-2 loss away from home in European knock-out competition is generally seen as a good result.
But… our home form has been so poor that you’d have to say Villareal are strong favourites to go through.
Makes you proud to be an arsenal supporter when we can manage to play 95 minutes of a cup semi final and not manage a single shot on target from open play and one shot from a penalty.
All the top teams must be queuing up to take our great coach. I wonder if we will be able to hold on to with with so many teams clamouring for his services.
Jigsol
Still enjoying life, I see!😉
Arteta “We were disorganised in the first half. Didnt get the press right”
Mikel how is that possible? Surely you have been drilling most things in for the past week. How can players not touch mark every opposition member at corners so at least an attempted flick on and then second touch are disrupted? How can it not be noticed that a high press beaten, with full backs high up the pitch, gives acres of room to opposition full backs going forward. How is it not obvious if you have a roving Dani and Partey not holding well, you have a bit space between midfield and back four for opposition to waltz into.
It’s not rocket science!
Apologies Jigsol, can you come over and coach!😁
So Mikel, a different shape ( and clientele) needed next week. Play 433, initially please. Partey in central midfield with, hesitate to say it, Xhaka on one side and Elneny on the other. Drill them into their positions and responsibilities when the opposition have the ball. Bring Tierney back and Soares on the right. Make clear if one full back attacks the other tucks in and holds.
Play Saka and Smith-Rowe closer together and Laca up front. Get a first goal ( and second and third and fourth……if possible) and takes us to a Final to crush Manure. If this does not work. Bring on Martinelli, Aubameyang, Pepe in that order, but not Willian. Simples!
“lot of space”
LBG, are you not saying the same thing as me but in a different way?
All those people who claimed and continue to do so that Arteta is a great coach seem to be oblivious to what their eyes tell them.
Game after game after game the poor showing by the team must by now have blown that myth out of the water well and truly.
I can still see us beating villareal in the home game despite our clear leadership failings and then fluking a win over manure and then arteta will be the great coach again.
That is until next season when it will be as you were or worse.
Please don’t blame me for stating the obvious.
Let me say it loud and clearly, in my honest view arteta is the worst coach we have had since before Graham and possibly well before then.
It is, in my honest view, not because he does not have ‘his players’, because he has plenty of those. It is simply because had no idea how to coach them.
No one had to agree with me but think about the terrible standard his teams produce time and again and them explain to me why I am wrong.
Jigsol
What I do agree with you is there are more of “his players” in the squad now compared to when he arrived. But are they really his players?
The difficulty is the quality of both “his” players and those left from the poor purchases of the past. Does Mikel really believe Luiz, Xhaka, Dani and Elneny, are up to a position in a top four team? Is Bellerin a top class right back?Did he really want Willian? After his magnificent previous season, has Aubang been drained of desire by his guaranteed money?
The point I’m trying to make is the quality of the “regularly used”players in our squad is IMO, below par. Now you argue he does not know how to coach the decent players in the squad. And when I watch that second goal from the corner, I have some reservations myself. Where is the tight marking, nudges, which make clean contact from forwards impossible in the penalty area? Pep teaches aggressive defending ( as well as cheating). Mikel seems less prepared/able to produce steel in defence.
But where I think Mikel can produce the goods for us, is in dynamic, one touch, explosive attacking play. And more significantly I believe he has the players to prove it.
Time will tell, of course, and in the meantime hopefully Thurs and beyond will still bring us joy this season.
The weirdest selection yesterday was Dani who has been a liability in all Europa league games he started…
LBG
Very sensible summary of your view.
As a teacher yourself, you will no doubt have taught kids how to do something, only to find that they will occasionally mess it up for one or more reasons, more to do with themselves than than your coaching.
What is obvious is that any failure will most certainly not have been your fault.
The same is true for a football coach, and as far as defending corners is concerned, our defenders are not kids, mostly are in their their mid-twenties, and would already have been taught, elsewhere, the basics of tightly marking opposition players in the box, and will know it is not right to leave them a free header.
New post. Sorry for the delay. Feel free to copy and paste any of your comments on the new post.
LBG. I wonder, are your views based on wishful thinking and hope?
You are assuming that Arteta’s style of play involves the one-touch football you refer to.
If that was the case, why did he throw out one of the best players of one-touch football in the world?
Arteta simply does not do such attacking play because it involves individual inspiration and quick thinking. That is the opposite of what he wants, which is the players doing exactly what he wants and when he wants them to do so.
Perhaps the Ozils etc that have been ostracised and removed were unwilling to work within Arteta’s straightjacket and would prefer to play the sort of football that you are now saying that Arteta can produce.
I am sorry, I simply disagree with you and everything that I have seen this season indicates to me that I am right.
I fear that having had one embarrassment recently, the powers that be will want to avoid another and will hang on to Arteta in the hope that the players will be able to deliver the Europa Cup, despite him.
Lose to Villareal or manure in the final, I think Areta’s P45 will be on its way.
In the meantime, do not expect too many good performances for the rest of the season.
It would be nice if I was wrong, but I do not think I am.
OK Jigsol, we will agree to differ.
He allowed Mesut to leave because Mesut was rationing the times he let his genius show. And the reason Mesut was rationing his genius was because he didnt rate the quality around him.