In a week when American entrepreneur Stan Kroenke tightened his grip on Arsenal by accumulating 427 more shares – edging him ever closer to the golden figure of 29.99% – the clubs ethics and future are in question as a new era is almost upon us. But his imminent takeover is a defensive, not offensive move.
Kroenke is yet to show his hand in terms of his plans, but the work he is already doing for the club in his board member role is an example of where he wants to take the club.
The 62-year-old sports mogul has already pumped his vast knowledge of marketing, promotion and technology into Arsenal, bringing the stone age board right to the fore of the latest ways to bring extra revenue. The partnership with Kroenke’s Colorado Rapids is a business deal which highlights this.
So far ‘Silent Stan’ has impressed everybody with his commitment. He, like Arsène Wenger and the members of the current board, are very quiet, efficient and intelligent. He has strong work ethics having amassed a fortune of $3.5 billion in the often tough world of real estate. His 50% stake in Arsenal Broadband prior to buying shares suggests he has held an ambition to be involved in the club for a long time.
Fundamentally the club will not change under Kroenke’s leadership. He believes in the way things are going. The only changes you will notice is away from football in terms of marketing and new promotions and innovations. Stan has transformed the American city of Denver. Under Kroenke Sports Enterprises, Denver is now regarded as the number one sports capital of the US. All his teams have been bathed in success and trophies since he has taken over and most fans of his teams will not argue with the statement than he has brought the fans closer to their teams. A man with a real passion for sports and supporters, his innovation includes developing sports TV networks, restoring and re-building stadiums and theatres and bringing some huge sporting events to the city of Denver.
Once described as the man who ‘has brought more entertainment to the people than anybody else in the West’ he knows how to run sports clubs and investments and get the fans more involved. A real winning leader, Kroenke’s new era for Arsenal in an exciting one for all those who follow the club. Words like ‘hostile’ are being used to describe the takeover, but in Stan Kroenke Arsenal have a man who will continue to preserve the core foundations of the club while bringing us to the very fore in todays competitive sports industry.
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