Arsenal: KSE issue statement insisting they will not sell to Daniel Ek

Stan Kroenke and the KSE ownership of Arsenal have released a statement insisting they will not sell any stake in the club, nor will they entertain an offer from anyone to do so, and they are ‘100% committed’.

Speculation of a Daniel Ek-led consortium evolved from a simple tweet into a genuine takeover bid with the backing of ‘Invincibles’ legends Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira in the space of just a few days.

The Spotify CEO has been widely reported as being ‘deadly serious’ in his efforts to purchase the club from the Kroenke family, having been a lifelong supporter. A bid said to be in the region of £1.8bn was being readied and due for submission in ‘within days’.

It came off the back off thousands of supporters gathering outside the Emirates Stadium last Friday to protest the Kroenke ownership. There is no love-loss between Arsenal fans and KSE, having never taken to their passive approach and undeniable lack of care for those affiliated with the club, specifically making this known with their decision to break way and form the controversial, monstrous Super League.

KSE issue statement insisting they will not sell Arsenal in direct response to Daniel Ek takeover

That prompted Josh Kroenke to appear on the Fans’ Forum, as it always requires the proverbial item to hit the fan before there is any intervention, and during that meeting Josh explicitly stated KSE have ‘no intention’ of selling.

A statement released on Tuesday evening, put those words into writing:

"“In recent days we have noted media speculation regarding a potential takeover bid for Arsenal Football Club,” the statement read, as relayed by Simon Collings.“We remains 100% committed to Arsenal *and are not selling* any stake in the Club. We have not received any offer and we will not entertain any offer.“Our ambition for Arsenal remains to compete to win the biggest trophies int he game and our focus remains on improving the competitiveness on the pitch to achieve this.”"

Clearly issues in direct response to Ek’s proposed offer, their viewpoint is clear. Where the consortium go from here remains to be seen, although it will likely still arrive, only to be knocked back.

KSE don’t do statements. They don’t do public anything. Yet while this is unusual of them, it once again exemplifies their lack of care having opted to do so rather than address fans themselves. Ek is due to speak on Wednesday and his words will be listened to carefully.

As per Sami Mokbel, there is still a valuation on the club by the Kroenke family, which stands at £2bn. Furthermore, senior Arsenal chiefs have been aware of interest and an incoming offer well before the Super League debacle occurred, even discussing it on matchdays this month.

Ek has planned for this. He will also have planned the Kroenke’s inevitable stance. Can he afford what they’re after? That’s the key but doesn’t change anything from their perspective. As The Telegraph put it, ‘they’re in for the long haul’, which could well take months, and are unmoved by statement.

The perennial issue is, however, that the Kroenke’s hold all the power.