Stan Kroenke has reaffirmed his desire to stay in control of Arsenal, declaring himself a “committed, long term investor.”
The US tycoon Kroenke has been clear in his stance that he is not interested in selling the club on the back of Alisher Usmanov’s £1billion offer .
The Russian oligarch made the bid to buy out Kroenke’s shares last month.
Usmanov had a bid rejected and Kroenke will not entertain any future bids.
Sources have told Mirror Sport that Kroenke believes Arsenal can be successful under his stewardship, taking trophies to the Emirates.
Kroenke’s son Josh is also playing an increased role with the club behind the scenes, as the club look to answer why they fell to fifth this season.
Speculation has suggested that Kroenke’s son and two board members have both pushed for the American, 69, to sell to Usmanov – just days after he made clear to the club’s hierarchy that he had no intention of leaving, even in the face of growing fan hostility.
A statement released by Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE) on Monday declared that that remained the case.
Usmanov, who first bought shares in Arsenal in 2007, increased his share in the club last year, buying now-Everton owner Farhad Moshiri’s stake in the club.
However Usmanov has repeatedly been denied a place on the board and has not been shy to criticise Kroenke in public. The leaking of Usmanov’s offer was made ahead of the final game, in an attempt to ramp up pressure on the American, who is due to travel to England this week ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup final against Chelsea.
And certainly it did just that, with fan ire on the final day of the Premier League season largely directed towards Kroenke – with Wenger having previously been the No.1 target – as chants of “Stan Kroenke, get out of our club” reverberated around the Emirates, while a number of banners aiming their displeasure were also on show.
Arsenal stand to lose around £30million in revenue next season, having failed to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
A final day win over Everton at the Emirates wasn’t enough, with Liverpool winning their final game of the Premier League season also.
