Arsenal News 24/7Writer: Nick Simmonett 
Date:Thursday April 5 2007
Time: 11:49PM
UK time is: 22:20:06
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Billionaire Gets Arsenal Shares!
American billionaire Stan Kroenke has brought ITV's 9.9% stake in Arsenal.
Rumours of a takeover have been in the air around The Grove since Arsenal announced a 'technical partnership' with Stan Kroenke's current 'soccer' team - The Colorado Rapids earlier in the year.
Mr. Kroenke already has several ventures in sports, with stakes in various basketball and ice hockey teams in America.
Rumours weren't helped by Arsenal MD Keith Edleman. When he was asked about the possibility of a takeover he said it wouldn't happen 'at this moment in time.' The fact that the value of Arsenal's shares have rocketed hasn't helped things either.
The American-born businessman also brought a 50% stake in Arsenal Broardband Ltd - taking his spending on Arsenal to around £60Million in just one day!
Some interesting debate has taken place iver on our forum about it, including this from one of our American members Sweep05: 'I actually live in Colorado, USA, where Kroenke lives and owns the Rapids, Nuggets and Avalanche. I am here to say that a potential takeover for Arsenal would actually be a good thing.
I've seen what Kroenke has done here for the local professional teams and if he was to buy Arsenal I've no doubt that he would provide the money to compete with Chelski and Manyoo. Everyone knows Arsenal doesn't buy talent but develops it. If we could combine Kroenke's checkbook and Wenger's development skills, we would be deadly.
It's a shame in football these days that money is often the determining factor in wins and losses but it is what it is, and Kroenke would definitely help us. As for those who would be upset because Kroenke is not English, I ask-what's more important to you - Englishness or winning?
After our loss to Liverpool were you patting yourselves on the back because Arsenal is more 'English' than the Scousers and their American owners or were you pissed that Peter Crouch had scored a ridiculous hat trick and we lost the game? It's about winning, not nationalities-and Kroenke would help us win.'
It would be a nervous time for Arsenal fans if this were to happen. Kroenke clearly loves sports but would he see Arsenal as one of his 'usual' investments or as a pure business oppertunity? With the Highbury square project set to enter a new phase, rumours of a Euro tunnel station being put to use near Arsenal it could be a way for Stan to make a quick buck. Or he could love Arsenal and want to make a sucess of them?
I guess only time will tell so watch this space!
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Your Comments
So here it begins :(
Rocky7
yes. nothing to say really except that I do not feel excited at all.
G4L
Guys I don't think there's nothing to worry about here. The current owners have repeatedly stated they do not want to sell the club. Given the ambition to develop the Arsenal brand in the US, it's not illogical for a businessman like Kroenke to invest in Arsenal. I don't think it automatically follows that we are going to be taken over.
Gooner_Vin
im very sad to say this, but if arsenal get taken over by a smelly ceptic, then i am not going to be following this football club anymore. i may as well convert to my local local team, southend united, as they at least have some proper principals and an english based ownership
D4NNYT
Sold to the USA hey..??Shame on you.......Better to sell Henry than your soul..!!
chalky76
Face it the owners just want the money and will probably be willing to sell...so its only time till we here the news of a takeover :(
AB_Arsenal
Gooners, dont be alarmed. Dein will not sell out. He loves this club to much. This will not hurt us.
The best laugh of the day came from this line.
A Spurs statement last night said: “The club will be working with the appropriate authorities to ascertain the events in Seville.
“Our initial report suggests there was no fan-to-fan fighting at any stage in the proceedings.
“As such, we are seeking explanations as to why the police reacted in the way they did with our fans.”
Simple. They were tired of watch Spuds play football.
themadafrican
It's no surprise really, coz it was only a matter of time before this happened. But lets wait till we pronounce judgment on whether this is good or bad.
prits
Chalky If Arsenal were to be taken over by this investment group it would be no different than when ENIC took over your pile of s*@t just obviously on a grander scale. Hopefully we would not have a chairmain as slimey as Daniel Levy who shafts you lot on a regular basis (Raising next years ticket prices when everybody else is freezing them, insisting the carling cup game at our place was charged at maximum rate) and makes your club look like fools (Writing a letter to try and gain champions league football).
iceman10
The share holders gave themselves a little loophole when they issued their statement about not selling up. The words "at this time" immediately worried me.
Rocky7
I hope he spends some of his money on the club. I cant see us going the way of Chelsea, there is no need, we are Arsenal after all.
gunnerb
Yeah Rocky, Edelman's response to the speculation did seem like they were playing safe. The Directors 'love the club' and dont want to say anything more at this time. Well, they can always come out and say they are selling coz they love the club and the new owner can take the club to greater heights.
prits
i don't think arsenal are looking to be takenover, but more of a partnership. they will use this guys investment for a seat on the board more than sell the club to him. and if he bought 9.9% for £60M then that makes us worth £600m ?
PUREGOLD
It's inevitable we'll be taken over at some stage. I'm sad that this is the way football is going, but I do hear this guy has been good for teams in the States. If he is to take over, I just hope he doesn't start throwing his weight around. Oh and chalky, thanks a lot to your moron fans. It makes no difference to you lot cos you won't be in Europe again for a few years, but next time we travel to Spain we'll get treated like sh&t because of your yobs. In my experience, the police in Spain are moody but not violent, I guess they just don't like having chairs thrown at them. Thirty years after being the first club to export the English disease, you have revived it. Congratulations.
Little Dutch
IS THIS A TAKEOVER OR WHAT? If it is i am *****ed but if not them i am just confuzzed lol Please dont sell up dein if u love this club like the rest of us do u know that u cant do that 2 us
Thierry_Power
Does anyone seriously believe that Kroenke will be happy to just sit passively as a minority investor? I don't think soooo. Looks to me as if some of the youth stars will be supplemented next season.
Westl
He may not want to be a minority investor, but in his American teams he has a reputation for not involving himself in the running of the teams. A hallmark of his ownership in the U.S is that he puts his hand in his pocket, but trusts the management. If he is to takeover this club, I would only hope that continues. Of course, it's much harder to actually do any sort of research than to jump to wild wind up assumptions, but there you go.
Little Dutch
LD, I am not implying he would be bad, to the contrary, I think he would put Arsenal on a much sounder financial footing. This would be good for the PL as Arsenal would be even tougher in the coming years. The only fear I have is that the gap between the top 4 and everyone else will grow, poor Spuds!
Westl
I hope you're right westl and, save for his connections with walmart, he seems like a decent enough person to be running the club. It's obvious we'll be taken over at some point, whether it's this dude or not, and Wenger himself said we may have to do it to stay competitive. The source of my frustration is that I don't like the way the sport is turning this way and I really think UEFA could have identified the signs and prevented it from being, "geezer with the biggest wallet wins." As usual, the sport suffers because of the moronic laziness of a governing body. While I agree we could do with a little experience in the summer, I hope we don't ditch the youth policy because it's a source of great pride. Maybe I've eben nurturing this "us v the bad guys" mentality with a tad too much sentimentality, but mostly, football continues to lose its soul and I don't see it doing so in the name of progress.
Little Dutch
There is going to be more short term success with these kinds of takeovers and I mean, for the all clubs not just Arsenal. The jury is still out on the long-term benefits to the club, and more importantly, to football as a whole. Other clubs will either perish coz they cant keep up, or be taken over.
prits
I think you're more mad about losing the "russian sugar daddy" bit than getting an foreign owner.He's not gonna destroy your team.You'll get more financial power, and more players will be available to you.All of this will be helping the premiership.If he does buy your team, the premiership will be very exciting next season.
k_chelski
SELLING YOUR SOULS TO KEEP UP WITH US - THE EVIL OF FOOTBALL:-)
merlin
haha merlin, pot kettle hmmmm ! westl and LD, i think your right as in this is good for the game and the EPL. also you are right that the smaller lesser teams will suffer and become more of your feeder clubs.. lennon anyone ?
PUREGOLD
American Football League MADNESS!
Does this trend try to tell the world that only American billionaires are welcome to take a stake in the EPL teams? Surely, this is 21st century and we have billionaires in the Middle East, Europe itself, Asia and other regions of the world who are very passionate about Football. The latter groups would be happy to play some significant roles as opposed to the traditional role of "fan base and clothing suppliers". I am sensing that, the trend is bad for the “International Game of Football”. Surely "balance" has merits as I was told in my philosophy class!
America has a long list of billionaires but do they have the passionate football fan base?
SWPACIFIC
SW atleast there will be no language barrier unlike cheslea,west ham, portsmouth or dundee !
PUREGOLD
North America has very well developed sports businesses, that's why they're coming over here now and you aren't seeing the money coming out of the middle east, except for horse racing. I just wish some of the smaller clubs would get cash injections so they could be more competitive! As for passion for football I think the owners will leave that to the fans.
Westl
Most people keep saying Kroenke will be good for the team/game, question why does he want to buy Arsenal? Because he is a fan of Arsenal? Because he wants to see all sorts of sports flourish? Because he wants to develop football in America? Kroenke has fallen in love with DD? Would not the answer be to all these questions be to make more money? What happens if he doesn’t make money? We’ve said the same about Chelsea, wait till the Russian sugar daddy leaves. I think there are a lot of questions that need answers too.
p.s. I think DD has been great for Arsenal.
alwaysgunner
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