Spotify founder Daniel Ek has recruited three Arsenal legends as he looks to try and buy the club from Stan Kroenke, according to reports.
While supporters were protesting against the American billionaire’s running of Arsenal on Friday, Ek – who is estimated by Forbes to be worth up to £3.4billion – made a declaration on Twitter that he was interested in taking over the club.
‘As a kid growing up, I’ve cheered for Arsenal as long as I can remember,’ the Swedish entrepreneur wrote. ‘If KSE would like to sell Arsenal I’d be happy to throw my hat in the ring.’
Ek now appears to be ramping up his takeover bid and The Telegraph claim he has teamed up with three former players to help him.
Thierry Henry, Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira are all reportedly working with Ek on his bid to take control of the gunners, and the three legends could also be handed roles at the club if the move becomes successful.
All three former Arsenal players have expressed desires to return to the Emirates in the past and the Spotify CEO believes their knowledge of the club and fan-base is ‘invaluable’ to his plans.
An offer is expected imminently, though Josh Kroenke, who is currently a director at Arsenal, made it clear at a fans’ forum last week that KSE have no intention of selling the London club.
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Arsenal legend Henry was critical of Kroenke’s ownership of the club over the weekend, with the side potentially missing out on European qualification this campaign, and says he hardly recognises the Gunners anymore.
‘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,’ the Frenchman told The Telegraph, criticising their decision to join the European Super League.
‘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.’
