Stan Kroenke On Verge Of Arsenal Takeover

Stan Kroenke has, once again, increased his shares in Arsenal Football Club, giving rise to a possible takeover bid before the end of 2009.

The American billionaire has been steadily increasing his stake at the club since April 2007 and now stands as the largest shareholder at Arsenal with 28.9 percent—just 646 shares away from being forced to make an offer for the remaining shares.

The potential new owner could threw £200 million into a transfer kitty, but while Arsène Wenger is in charge, it will never be spent. We’ve seen enough of Wenger in the last 13 years to know how he operates in the transfer market, and I don’t think a huge pot of money will change that.

It is a worry though, that with the wrong owner, and should such series of events transpire around a transfer budget, that Wenger could be replaced in favour of a manager who would make use of the investments.

It is very difficult to imagine Arsenal without Wenger in the short term.

Most fans would prefer Kroenke as an owner to Usmanov if the current board do decide to sell up. It appears that Kroenke has been encouraged to buy further shares to counter a possible bid by Usmanov.

Usmanov may be the wealthier, but his stock is not as well known. Kroenke has years of experience with sports franchises such as the MLS club Colorado Rapids, and NBA's Denver Nuggets.

While I would loathe to see Arsenal become another of those franchises, I believe Kroenke would stay largely true to the prudent model of business we have been operating under in the recent years, with much of the current board remaining in place.

Indeed, Wenger made that very comment to the press on Thursday, admitting it is likely Kroenke will take over the club, while chairman Peter Hill-Wood has revealed he would welcome a take over from the American.

This week saw the launch of a new Arsenal website in the US, coming before the announcement of Kroenke’s shares increase, but nevertheless an indication that something big is brewing. A website for the US fan base would be very useful when the news hits across the Atlantic that an American billionaire is buying a London-based soccer club.

Arsenal does not have the same huge fan base that Premier League rivals Manchester United or Liverpool have, neither is the Arsenal brand as well known globally; however, a Kroenke takeover could change that.

As long as the club doesn’t change its philosophy, Kroenke could increase the club’s revenue through lucrative TV and sponsorship deals in the US to rival those of Europe’s heavyweights.

That increase in revenue without detriment to the club, would help to clear off the debt from the move to the Emirates, and reduce any reliance on investment from the owner to fund transfers and necessary maintenance and upgrades to the club’s ground and other facilities.

My message to Usmanov, and most importantly, Kroenke, is this: Stop messing around buying up a few shares here or there, only slightly increasing your stock. Acquire the necessary amount required to force a bid, name your price, and wait for it to be accepted or declined, so we can get back to focusing on what really matters right now—the team's performances on the pitch, without having to worry about some behind-the-scenes financial flexing from two incredibly wealthy individuals.

It’s not big, and it’s not clever.