Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has finally opened up about reports claiming that him, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira have joined forces with Swedish billionaire Daniel Ek to buy Arsenal in the near future.
The Telegraph revealed last month that the three Gunners legends have agreed to help the Spotify founder buy the club from the Kroenkes. The report also claimed that a £1.8 billion bid is in the works, and it’s expected to be made official any day now.
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Henry, who featured on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football today, was asked about the rumours. The legendary Frenchman admitted that he, Bergkamp and Vieira have joined forces with Ek, and has revealed what their plans are going ahead.
Henry: Ek approached us
He said: “I know a lot of people wanted to hear about it, it is true. Daniel is an Arsenal fan. He didn’t say that for any publicity. He is an Arsenal fan for a very long time. He approached us. We listened to him.
“When we knew, first and foremost, that he wanted to involve the fans then we met the Arsenal Supporters Trust. We told them what we wanted to do. To bring them back on board. Make them part of the meetings and knowing what’s happening. You need to put the DNA back into the club.
“He wants to inject the Arsenal DNA back into the club, which for me, is long gone. You don’t have Arsenal people there amongst the board, which might show the right direction. But that’s what Daniel wants to do.
“He has already reached out. He already said he has collected the funds to put a good bid. Now, they need to listen. He wants to make sure the team is what it used to be.”
The Insider’s View:
It is no secret at this point that Ek is really serious about buying Arsenal. He has the funds ready, he has club legends on his side, and his plans to have fan representation on the board will get the supporters’ backing too.
Ek really is going about things in the right way. With all the support he is getting from the fans, there is more pressure on the Kroenkes now than there ever was. That will force them to listen to his offer.
However, it is really unlikely that Ek will succeed with his very first bid. The reported £1.8 billion fee will simply not be enough to force the Kroenkes to do something that they don’t want to do, especially after their recent investments.
Ek will likely have to return with a bigger and better offer. That doesn’t seem like it would be a problem for him as he claimed in his interview with CNBC last week that he is in this for the long haul.
Sit tight folks, things could heat up very soon.
