Whilst Arsenal’s new manager Emery has been busy trying to put his new team together for the upcoming season, there has been plenty going on in terms of the ownership of the club. For the past few years, Stan Kroenke and Alisher Usmanov have been in a stand-off over selling their shares to each other but it now looks as though Usmanov has agreed to sell his stake in the club.
Usmanov to sell 30 per cent stake
Stan Kroenke is set to buy him out in a deal that values the club at close to £1.8billion. Usmanov has a 30 per cent stake in the club and had previously attempted to buy Kroenke out with several failed bids. Kroenke holds 67% of the club and has outlined his intention to also buy out the remaining 3% of individual shareholders in addition to Usmanov’s stake.
No Champions League football for Arsenal this year
Arsenal is a team that has suffered in recent years, failing to qualify for the lucrative Champions League competition last season and for this season too. Investment in the team has not been quite as substantial as some of the teams they are competing against like Liverpool or Manchester City but they paid over £100million last season for the signings of Aubameyang and Lacazette to give them a new-look strike force. They recouped much of that outlay with sales of Oxlade-Chamberlain, Walcott, Giroud, Coquelin, Szczesny and Paulista.
Emery’s new signings
Emery has been strengthening in all areas of the pitch with defensive midfielder Torreira coming in, Bernd Leno as first-choice goalkeeper and Sokratis at centre-back. Arsenal fans won’t have to wait long to see their team put through their paces, as they welcome last season’s runaway Champions Manchester City to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. By then, Kroenke may have gained 100 per cent control of the club.
