In August 2018, Kroenke's offer of £550 million for Usmanov's share was accepted, making Stan the sole owner at Arsenal yet it does not take long to scroll through Twitter and see that Stan is not the most popular man at the club. I come across these tweets and the Kroenke 'out' profiles and ask myself, is Stan Kroenke actually that bad, and why is there so much hatred among the fans?
It's no secret that Arsenal's negotiations around selling and buying players is dreadful. Look at Oxlade-Chamberlain and Walcott; they’re probably the two biggest names that have left the club for £40m and £20m but then that money is spent straight on Aubameyang for £60m. We also let Sanchez leave in a swap deal with Manchester United for Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Jack Wilshere left the club for free and now Aaron Ramsey will also walk out the door free. This is much more than a laughing stock - it is just outright embarrassing. Big investments are being allowed to leave for nothing, it is unacceptable.
Now was this all Stan Kroenke's fault?
Some could argue that yes, this is Stan's fault because we should have an owner who can pump his own money into the club but this is not always the answer. We all heard the Emery press conference stating that Arsenal can only afford to loan players in this window which is due to our reportedly high wage bill and/or the club's net profit is not particularly heathy right now but does the final decision on these notions sit with Stan? There is now, and was before, a team of senior managers running the club, trusted by the owner. They are more culpable than he is.
We all know Arsenal could shed some wages but once again is this Stan Kroenke fault?
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| Chelsea are third only to both Manchester United and City, who at the time occupied the top two spots, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are 4, 5 and 6 in how much they pay their superstars. |
Looking at Arsenal's net profit - it was reported Arsenal announced pre-tax profit of £44.6million after turnover at the club rose by over £70m in the year up to May 2017.
Turnover hit £422.8m too which was the first time the club has exceeded £400m. This was partly accounted for by £58m in additional broadcasting revenue from the Premier League in the first year of a three season broadcast deal and post Champions League earning.
I have also read reports from the Telegraph. "Arsenal’s operating profits have tumbled by more than 60 per cent as a result of the club’s failure to qualify for the Champions League last season. Arsenal’s half-year results show that the fall from the Champions League to the Europa League has created a £23.4m fall in football revenues in the six months to the end of November last year.
Now looking at Arsenal's transfer last window, we came out with a profit of £5.76m.
Just like you, I am a fan and I read and listen. Arsenal are a self sustainable club as they sell players then use that money to re-buy. Emery's latest press conference about Arsenal only loaning players this window suggests to me that Arsenal cannot sell anyone in this window - therefore we must loan. I can understand under this self sustainable model why Emery is thinking we must sell Mesut Özil but I would imagine a few others will also leave in the summer. But would any of them fetch the fee that Arsenal would get for Mesut Özil? Would anyone want Ozil with the wage demands he carries?
Back to my first point about letting these players go for free. It is a complete joke which is now hurting the club.
Is Stan Kroenke really the Villain at Arsenal?
No.
Looking at the staff and structure Stan Kroenke put in place during this preseason should set us up for the future.
Yes this should of been done a few years ago, but it wasn't. The Wenger era was a totally different era to what we find ourselves in now as he ran the club from top to bottom; operations, football, recruitment, everything. Arsene was a brilliant manager who made Stan Kroenke plenty of money so why change something that is winning? If Stan was such a villain he would not of put executives in place this season to look after his investment going forward. The Wenger structure is no more, with different people now looking after different parts of the football club but that does not mean it is no less or no more sustainable than the previous era.
Tez
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