Spotify founder and CEO Daniel Ek has teamed up with three of Arsenal Football Club’s most famous players in a bid to take over ownership of the club.
As reported by Telegraph Sport, former champion players Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Viera are all working with Ek in an attempt to take control of Arsenal.
According to Telegraph Sport, Henry, Bergkamp and Viera could all return to the club to be a part of a new set up if Ek’s plan is successful.
The Swedish-born Ek, who is worth over 6 billion AUD, is set to make a formal offer to buy the club from the current owner Stan Kroenke.
Ek publically confirmed his interest in buying Arsenal over on Twitter last week, writing: “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.”
However, Kroenke’s son Josh, who is a director of Arsenal, recently insisted that the club is not for sale, despite news of the involvement of Henry, Bergkamp and Viera.
Speaking at a fans’ forum last week (via Telegraph Sport), during which he faced backlash over Arsenal’s controversial European Super League inclusion and withdrawal, Josh said: “When are we going to sell? I am not willing to answer that question because we have no intention of selling.”
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Stan Kroenke has faced strong criticism from fans for going against the club’s culture and traditions, to the point where Henry revealed he no longer recognises the Arsenal he once loved.
“This club belongs to the fans, I love the club and I will support the club until I die, but I do not recognise my club and what happened just now, with them trying to join a league that would have been closed, makes no sense to me,” he told Telegraph Sport.
“They have been running the club like a company, not a football club, and they showed their hand. Maybe it’s a lack of understanding of the core football values and maybe the money was too big of a temptation. But whatever it was, they got it wrong. Badly wrong.”
For more on this topic, check out The Industry Observer.
Check out a report on Spotify Founder Daniel Ek’s plans to buy Arsenal:
