Tag: Daniel Ek

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek is readying a second Arsenal takeover bid having seen his initial £1.8bn offer rejected last month.

This time round the Swedish billionaire is planning to increase his over to £2bn in an effort to test the Kroenke’s resolve.

Ek said that the unpopular Gunners owners told him that they “didn’t need the money” when he tried to buy the club last time.

But the billionaire’s camp claim they “are not going anywhere and want to get a deal done”.

Arsenal insiders have admitted they are expecting a second offer, reports the Daily Mail.

Ek has looked to use the public fallout from the proposed European Super League to push forward with his takeover plans.

Arsenal were one of six teams to join the failed proposal which only served to increase the divide between the supporters and the club’s hierarchy.

Ek went public to state that the offer included fan ownership, representation at board level and a golden share for supporters.

Gunners legends Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira are also backing the Swede’s bid.

Stan Kroenke, who assumed full control in 2018, has been heavily criticised for the manner in which he runs the club.

Arsenal have experienced a sharp decline over the past decade with Mikel Arteta now set to oversee a huge rebuild.

Kroenke’s son, Josh, is a director at the club and a key figure in day-to-day-operations.

He engaged in a fans forum following the Super League plans in an effort to build bridges with supporters.

Ek, himself a life-long Arsenal fan, received a glowing review from Henry who spoke highly of his plans for the Gunners.

“I know a lot of people wanted to hear about [the takeover],” he told Sky Sports. “It is true. Daniel is an Arsenal fan, he didn’t say it for any publicity. He is an Arsenal fan for a very long time.

“He already – I’ll give you something – reached out [to the Kroenkes] and already said himself that he had collected the funds to make sure that he can put in a good bid.

He added: “I think it is going to be long and not easy – if it does ever happen. One thing that I want to reiterate is that Daniel will not move away, he will be there waiting to see if they want to sell.

“That is going to take a very long time, we know what we want to do, but first and foremost we need to make sure that we can take over, if they are listening.”

Spotify founder Daniel Ek is mulling over a takeover bid for Arsenal which could reportedly also involve former players Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira.

Owned by American billionaire Stan Kroenke, Arsenal were one of six Premier League clubs to sign up for a breakaway European Super League last week before quickly withdrawing from the process.

That led to new protests against Kroenke’s ownership, with thousands of supporters marching on the Emirates Stadium ahead of Friday’s Premier League defeat to Everton.

Just before kick-off, Swedish billionaire Ek sent a tweet saying he would be interested in purchasing the club should Kroenke be willing to sell.

It was then reported on Monday that Ek, 38, had begun to make inquiries over the weekend into the viability of a takeover bid and that Henry, Bergkamp and Vieira were all on board as part of his plan.

Kroenke is thought to want at least $3.85 billion if he is to consider selling the club he has run since April 2011.

Any deal may be extremely difficult to do given Josh Kroenke, the club director and Stan Kroenke’s son, reinforced at a fans’ forum last week that his family have “no intention” of walking away.

“I still believe we’re fit to carry on in our positions as custodians of Arsenal,” he said, pledging to build trust between the ownership and support.