Before our final game of the season tomorrow – a home fixture against Brighton & Hove Albion – there will be another demonstration against the club’s owners, Kroenke Sports Entertainment (KSE).
If you’re one of the lucky 10,000 who has a ticket for the game, will you be turning up early to join the demo? Even if you don’t have a ticket are you planning to go anyway to attend the protest?
I believe most Arsenal supporters would like a change of ownership, even though there is no guarantee that things will be better under a new regime (there’s always the danger of “meet the new boss, same as the old boss” as The Who once said in their aptly titled hit “Won’t Get Fooled Again“).
KSE have done themselves no favours with their cack-handed involvement in the short-lived European Super League, a footballing institution with a briefer lifespan than anything we’ve ever witnessed in the game apart from Totteringham’s tenure at the top of the Premier League.
Meanwhile the emotional bond between Leicester City’s owner, Aiyawatt ‘Top’ Srivaddhanaprabha and his club, city and fans that was evident in the FA Cup Final has reminded many of us that it is still possible to have a wealthy owner who truly cares about his club and not just about the bottom line.
The one putative buyer waiting in the wings for Arsenal is Daniel Ek, a billionaire founder of the Spotify music streaming service. By Kroenke standards Ek is a pauper, and his enquiry about a sale was allegedly dismissed out of hand by KSE.
Nevertheless, a combination of the recent bad press around KSE’s Super League involvement – and the sense among fans that Arsenal have been on a slowly declining trajectory ever since KSE took over – may prompt some kind of action from the owners.
Some are speculating that this might take the form of an injection of cash into the club for new transfers this summer.
If I were Stan or Josh Kroenke I would see this as exactly the right time to provide Mikel Arteta with some extra financial muscle. I know that not everyone among the fandom (or indeed among the regulars on this blog) believes Arteta is the right man to take us forward, but I suspect the Kroenkes will look at the fact that we have been the third best Premier League team since Christmas and will see that as something to build on.
KSE have certainly not lost money with their Arsenal investment (‘big’ clubs with instant name and brand recognition and an international following are assets that continually appreciate), but they must also be aware that footballing success would raise the club’s value even higher.
A £200m investment, for example, would easily recoup itself if it led to participation in the Champions League for the following two or three seasons.
With that in mind there is a business reason (as well as a PR one) for KSE to consider releasing additional cash, although I have no great confidence that they will do so.
So I’ll leave you with a question: would you rather that KSE agreed to sell, with all the uncertainty that that will bring? Or would you reluctantly accept KSE sticking around if they started to invest the sort of money in the team that would allow us to seriously upgrade our personnel?
RockyLives
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Will comment later Rocky. Thanks
Had to quote Terry though, ” I’d love to manage a top club, but I’d turn down Spurs”
Even Totteringham wouldnt make you their manager, scumbag!!
Yeah, if Old Krank open up the club for fans at the board, including veto. Plus buying us Harry Kane, Jack Grealish and some more top guys… maybe the old man would be “loveable”. Maybe…
Kroenke does not want to sell so the only option for us to like him is for him to:
1. Be more present and communicate his passion for our club
2. Invest, invest, invest
Let us hope his wallet comes out…
@Maxwell – from yesterday’s comment on Chambers. Just to be clear, I like Chambers and I have been impressed with his growth in the RB role. I think he is a very good player to have in the squad due to his mindset, versatility and skills overall but 1. he is not a top right-back nor a top Centre-back nor a top Holding Midfielder and 2. he is quite injury prone. So for me, he is a squad player, a guy I d like to field in Cup games but I d like to have a better option especially at Right-Back.
Take his money….then kick him out.
RC
Wonder how many of the current (or recent) players would you describe as “top class”?
Given three youngsters (Saka, Smith-Rowe and Martinelli) could become top class, I’d only be able to give it to Tesco.
COYG…..but #anythingbutseventh, AND #KroenkeOut.
I don’t want him to invest his money – that will only prolong his presence at the club.
I just want him gone and Arteta with him.
What seemed so promising at the beginning has turned into a complete and total nightmare for this club.
They should sell – at least they will make some money on it..
LBG – I agree with you but to be honest, we could say that Aubameyang has been top-class (except this season, of course) and there is definitely a case to be made for Tierney as well…Now for the rest of the team, I agree that we didn’t really have stellar or top-class performers so far but clearly, there is hope for Saka, ESR, Martinelli and I would even add Partey to the list. What do you think?
But at right-back, Bellerin, Soares, AMN and Chambers have not set the world on fire. It is just that lately, Chambers has been the most relevant and reliable without a doubt.
A beautiful new ground, and another London Club coming up.
I’m almost convinced by Arteta. The second half, fro Xmas in the PL he and the team were really great. Playing well, getting the results.
I have only two things against him the two games against Villareal, the semis… oh gosh… those games…
But I want MA to continue…
The Kroenkes? I’m afraid we have to cope with them for the long run even with love lost. If they could be professional owners that is the most we expect.
Hearing dey getting rid of bould
Balogun hattrick in six minutes against Barnet!
Give him a go Mikel and lift us with something different.
#anythingbutseventh.
Sorry Rocky, I sent an adequate response to your post yesterday which seems to have been swallowed up somewhere.
In a nut shell it was along the lines of not trusting the Kroenkes and thinking that any investment now is a temporary intervention firstly to placate the fans for a while and secondly because the club has slipped below the upper mediocre level they find acceptable.
If they recognised the speculate to accumulate by investing to gain footballing success and then the all round financial improvement that comes with that they would have done this I transfer windows some time back. I’m afraid this beast has already revealed itself and I don’t see any longevity in a temporary show of ambition.
GoonerB
Probably gone into the bolleauxphere!😁
But as always, in total agreement with your assessment. Only have to look at proposals to Arsenal trust. A “new” body made up of supporters, ex player, visited ( once a year) by Josh, with advisory remit to owners and Board ( on what is pissing us all off), BUT NO RIGHTS WHATSOEVER.
#KroenkeOut
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