Spotify founder reveals interest in buying Arsenal
By Tom Gott
The founder of Spotify has admitted to being a boyhood Arsenal fan, adding he would be interested in buying the Gunners if the opportunity presented itself.
Thousands of Arsenal fans took to the Emirates Stadium on Friday to protest against current owner Stan Kroenke, who wasn't exactly a popular figure before he signed Arsenal up for the abysmal Super League idea.
Calls for Kroenke to pack up and leave the club were loud, and fans got even more excited when Spotify founder Daniel Ek logged on Twitter.
"As a kid growing up, I’ve cheered for Arsenal as long as I can remember," Ek wrote. "If KSE would like to sell Arsenal I'd be happy to throw my hat in the ring."
Well then.
It's not hard to see why Arsenal fans got themselves all excited. Forbes say Ek is worth around £3.5bn, and with that kind of money, the Gunners could sign two Willians.
That net worth is about half of Kroenke, which is why Arsenal fans have been so frustrated with their owner. The 73-year-old American is rolling in cash, but his Super League aspirations suggest he is only interested in adding more wealth.
Unfortunately for both Arsenal fans and Ek, it doesn't seem as though there will be a change of ownership anytime soon.
Director Josh Kroenke, son of Stan, told fans in a forum on Thursday that he still believes the current setup are the best people to guide Arsenal back to greatness, urging fans to give them a chance to regain their trust.
Josh Kroenke: "As this project took shape in a very fast manner, we asked ourselves two key questions. The first we asked ourselves was: what is worse, a Super League or a Super League without Arsenal? We decided a Super League without Arsenal was the worst of both answers." pic.twitter.com/xPQ11kAfiZ
— Charles Watts (@charles_watts) April 22, 2021
"I still believe we're fit to carry on in our positions as custodians of Arsenal," Kroenke said. "We were put in a very difficult position by forces outside of the club. To go back to those original questions that we got wrong, those were the questions we asked ourselves and that's why I'm here to try and piece everything back together over time.
"I'm not asking for your trust immediately. We have the same plans for summer as we had a few weeks ago, and I'm so excited about those. I might be met with distrust and scepticism but over time I hope to re-establish a relationship with our supporter groups and show them we're capable of leading the club forward."