January 8 – Arsenal do not expect majority shareholder Stan Kroenke (pictured) to launch a takeover bid despite being close to the threshold for a mandatory offer, chief executive Ivan Gazidis claimed today.
Kroenke, an American who is also the owner of NBA Denver Nuggets, a professional Major League Soccer club Colorado Rapids and NHL side Colorado Avalanche, owns 29.97 per cent of the 62,219 shares in the Premier League club, close to the 30 per cent threshold, while Uzbek-born metals oligarch Alisher Usmanov has a 26 per cent stake.
There has been intense speculation that one of them plans to begin a full takeover – which fans fear could destabilise the club and lead to the departure of Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger - but Gazidis is confident that this will not happen.
He said: ”I’ve had no indication from any shareholders that they are about to launch a takeover.
“We’re very comfortable with the multi-ownership model.
“If that were ever to change, we’d have to address the situation at that time.”
Wenger, meanwhile, remains at the forefront of Arsenal’s plans, claimed Gazidis.
He said: ”You never know what fortune holds for you, but we believe we have a squad that will be very much in the mix for any competition we enter over the next five years.
“There is no question in my mind that this club is going to be very successful in delivering trophies to its fans consistently in that time period.”
Arsenal are currently third in the league, four points behind leaders Chelsea with a game in hand as they seek their first title since 2004.
They are also still in the Champions League and FA Cup.
Wenger (pictured), 60, is under contract until the end of next season but Gazidis had no concerns about the Frenchman’s future with the north London club.
He said: ”We are very relaxed about Arsene’s contract.
“At the right time we and Arsene will talk about extending that.
“Typically with Arsene those discussions happen towards the end of the contract period.
“But we’re extraordinarily happy with him.
“It’s difficult for me to imagine anything other than Arsene leading the team forward with this young group of players.
“There’s a huge amount of ambition left in Arsene and a huge amount of vision and legacy that has yet to be achieved.”
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