Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke’s statement this evening about not having any interest in selling the club to Spotify billionaire Daniel Ek has ruined everyone’s mood.
What do we do when our mood is ruined? We listen to Arsene Wenger!
The legendary Frenchman is arguably the most insightful man in football. He knows everything there’s to know about the game, and when he’s speaking, people stop what they’re doing and listen.
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Wenger featured on beIN Sport today and addressed the rumours surrounding Ek’s interest in Arsenal.
The former Gunners boss was happy that the Swede was including the likes of Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira in his takeover attempt, but he feels that Ek is in a difficult position now because he announced his intentions instead of going about things quietly.
Wenger said: “I would say, I like the fact that former people of the club, run the club. Basically, you have two examples in the football world – former players who run a club like Bayern Munich or big investors who buy a club like Manchester City.
“I personally, because I’m a football man, I like the fact that former Arsenal players take over and give advice.
“For the project, I prefer personally, the best deals are made is when nobody knows about it, and you come out and it’s done. Once you announce things, you have a mountain to climb. Nobody wants to give in and I think it’s better always you do your deal and when it’s done, you come out and then you take people in.
“I will always support Arsenal. If I can help Arsenal, I will do it as well in any way.”
The Insider’s View:
Wenger is right. The big deals that usually go through are the ones that are done behind the scenes. The ones that are heavily publicised often fall through – the Newcastle takeover deal is a very good example of that.
Ek may have just jumped the gun on this one, but there is a reason why he chose to make things public.
Stan Kroenke would never agree a deal to sell Arsenal behind the scenes. He would’ve thrown every reasonable offer out of the window, and fans would’ve never even heard of that.
With things now public, and with three Arsenal legends reportedly involved, Ek is piling the pressure on Kroenke. Sadly, that is unlikely to work as well, especially after his statement this evening.
