Speculation is mounting that Alisher Usmanov is ready to sell his stake in Arsenal and join former partner Farhad Moshiri at Everton.
The Uzbeki took full control of the 30.04% that RED and WHITE SECURITIES LTD own in the club when Moshiri purchased a 49.9% stake in Everton earlier this year.
However, with an almost non-existent relationship with Stan Kroenke – the 67.05% majority shareholder in Arsenal – and the chances of him being offered a position on the board, or one of any influence at the club, almost zero, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he decided to go all in with Moshiri at the Merseyside club.
In order to do that though, he would need to find a buyer for his shares, as he is highly unlikely to sell to the American’s KSE group at this moment in time. That could well change in the future though as the difficulty of finding someone to pay such a substantial amount to similarly frozen out is obvious.
What that might mean for Arsenal is very interesting. At the moment there’s a kind of status quo, where Usmanov has accepted he can have no influence leaving Kroenke quite happy and untouchable, but perhaps new investors might be more inclined to shake things up.
Since his arrival at Everton, Moshiri has presided over the appointment of Ronald Koeman from Southampton, as well as installing Leicester’s former chief scout Steve Walsh as the club’s director of football, real signals of ambition from the club.
This is definitely a situation to keep an eye on because the implications for Arsenal are obvious.
True fan…
One USmanov, another USmanin.
I’m still baffled how the board choose a tight cunt who sucks money from the club to invest in a farm… aka cash cow!!! Usmanov was initially brought in by Dein, and we all know the decisions he made for the club always was focused towards the pitch performance. Even if Usmanov is a half-hearted fan, I’d still take him as I believe he’d plunder money into the club to compete with Abramovich. Two billionaire owners and we haggle over a few million that’ll probably be made back within a few weeks due to the excitement of fans. My faith… Read more »
He thinks as a business man which, considering the amount that is at stake, nobody can hold against him. Kroenke doesn’t care one bit about Arsenal either but at least Usmanov wants to be actively involved in running and investing into a club. They do have the resources to make Everton a bigger club which, again, would create tough competition for Arsenal…
This could definitely be interesting since the current status quo at the top of our club does not help the decision making at all. Things need to change.
There can only be one buyer because no-one will pay serious money to be in Usmanov’s position. You have to wonder why Usmanov did.
Exactly what I was thinking
As supposed to Kroenke, who’s such a real fan he even keeps quiet just us fans at some of our home games, right?
Stan can fuck off too
Fans are deluded if they think this club is still ‘our’ club. The only ones who can say that about the club they support is the German fans. We are simply customers for a product.
But surely if the product turns out to be a bag of shit then the customers will stop buying it.
People don’t keep watching drivel like the Transformer movies because they are great art… we’ve been duped and we’re hooked…
You would think so…
It has never been any different, do you really think the likes of the hill-woods were listening to the fans 60 years ago.
I’m not sure if it was ever your club, unless you owned shares.
As a diehard gooner, if I was a billionaire and could have no stake or return (other than financial on my investment) I would put my money in another club. I love Arsenal (not sure if Usmanov does) but I would also like to be part of building something too… fair play if he goes somewhere where all that money he puts in gives him a say on how it is spent. My bro was a season ticket holder at Highbury for 20 years but is now very happily watching non league football and is more involved in the game… Read more »
True fan ? Was that a sarcasm ? We true fans are not going to quit Arsenal to support Everton.
Please can you take wenger along while you are at it!!!
Haha, ok but only if/when Koeman takes Jose’s Job…..this time next year then?
Let’s just hope he doesn’t sell it all to Kroenke. We need a rich fan to come in. Who are rich fans that could afford it? As long as it’s not Piers Morgan!
No fan’s going to come sink hundreds of millions of pounds into Arsenal just because they’re their favourite football team. Would you? If so, that’s why you don’t have hundreds of millions of pounds.
Am sorry but why in the world would anyone in their right minds not want to buy arsenal shares, even if I was a spur supporter (rather die first ) I would buy an arsenal share if it comes out, they may not win anything (maybe the FA) But one thing is sure, they would make me tones of money and I would join the league of those who want wenger to stay as long as I keep making the cash
It doesnt need a ‘fan’. Whatever you want to say about him, abramovich wasnt a chelsea fan before he bought them, he was very close to buying spurs, but he went on to sink hundreds of millions into them in order to gain some kind of personal gratification through winning trophies, and youd be mad to argue it hasn’t benefited them. Im not saying id like an investor of the ilk of abramovich, but if someone, anyone, came along and ploughed millions on signings and we started winning things left right and center, im pretty sure youd see a rapid… Read more »
Ok so i started going off on a tangent there, but make no bones about it, usmanov and stan dont give a fish’s tit about arsenal. They are investors, end of. The only reason guys like this ever come out and claim to be fans is because they think it might have some positive PR effect. Every super rich investor has gotten there by being dodgy in some way, usmanov and stan included, so all im saying is if you have to have that kind of character, id rather have one who was prepared to smash a shit load of… Read more »
Kronke is worse. At least Usmanov is always screeming to all who’d listen about how much he loves Arsenal and wants to see it winning. That Kronke guy really really doesn’t care it looks like. Even I wonder if he gives a hoot about the football. And the American CEO is obviously not helping either
Not me mate. I’d genuinely walk away an support some non-league team. I’m sick of the money in football, it’s lost its soul and become a dick measuring contest between rich foreigners.
As opposed to the good old days when it was a Bank of England club owned by renowned Trotskyist Henry Norris. At least no foreigners, youre right.
youd be prepared to walk away from this club because you dont like the owner? well then i guess you have to ask yourself about why you watch football and why you support arsenal in the first place. we all have different views, none are right. Personally, Football is still about kicking a ball about a field, and the joy of watching people do it really really well, to the point where it becomes really beautiful to watch. people only get frustrated at all the other backround bullshit because they allow the media to tell us its important… it isnt.… Read more »
Goonertom, not because I don’t like the owner, but because I’m getting tired of what it has become. It’s not a football competition anymore, it’s a richest club competition. Leicester last year was a glimpse of something different but it was surely a freak. Supporting Arsenal these days just feels a bit shit, like it’s been high jacked somehow. I’m starting to wonder why I even care.
We have an investor of abramovich’s ‘ilk’ on the board- Usmanov. He’s actually richer, he’s just not a majority share holder.
except he is not allowed on the board
Genuine question. These situations such as the Mustafi deal where we are umming and ahhing over 5-8m pounds, is there anything stopping Usmanov from footing the difference? Is it that he doesn’t want to?
Or is it a case of “sorry your money is no good here”
I think you’ll find Abramovich sunk more than a few hundred million into the chavs, try more like 2.1 billion.
I am planning just that. Kroenke won’t be interested forever. Also, Usmanov, probably due to public image/perception/stereotypical expectations, is not ruffling feathers, innovative or passionate enough. I will be putting in, not taking out, because I owe a lot to Arsenal FC, our past players and Arsene. I have no need to extract funds from my passion, joy and constant. We have everything, but spending power. Even at, Usmanovs share holding level, I’d pump money in, to publicly pressure the rancher. Patience, 2 years maximum wait, and then we can at least add some pride and authority to our style,… Read more »
Usmanov was one. but how could you influence club approuch when not even being allowed on board? in other words Stan Kroenke wouldnt allow anyone sabutage his best money making machine.
Would be nice if he’d done this when the Arsenal Fanshare scheme was active…
Some of the main given reasons for closure of the fanshare scheme were no chance of becoming self sufficient due to very less shares being available and again, very less shares available for fans to buy. Would they be open to bringing it back now? Surely with All of usmanovs stake, fanshare would become self-sufficient?
Rather than new investors shaking things up, is it not more likely he would sell to Kroenke? Not sure how I feel about that…
Stan should be the one going but that’s almost impossible. Arsenal is his cash cow.
Interesting, please tell us more what the possible implications will be for the club, our manager and the first team. Likely -> unlikely but possible.
Cheers
Flam’s first 30%!
Huge arsenal fan huh? He can go have his dream at that mediocre club. Just dont sell your shares to Kroenke!
Everton mediocre? Might want to check the club’s history.
Mediocre club? I don’t think so mate. EFC are a sleeping giant just been badly run for over 20 years.It is sad the way Football has gone.Good luck to Arsenal always had a soft spot for the Gunners.
Flamini!
Save us Dangote
This may not be a popular idea, but Arsenal is in dire need of an activist shareholder in the mould of Carl Icahn who would shake the shit out of the current establishment and demand greater accountability at all levels of the management.
But the Premier league isn’t the SEC. 5% gets you a voice in the States, but you need (I believe) 40% in the prem. It used to be 30 but Arsenal had the rules changed once Usmanov got to 29 or so.
It’s not about being an Arsenal fan tho is it? He’s laid out his ambitions for the club loads of times, obviously saying it is easier than doing it, but the board never gave him the opportunity. I have to say, the Arsenal board and Kroenke are a joke. If FFP was implemented properly etc, our self sustaining model would’ve allowed us to compete with City, Chelsea, United etc in terms of finances. But with the rules so easy to get round our plan and business model isn’t allowing us to keep up with their spending. Something has got to… Read more »
Let’s hope whoever buys his shares if he sells isn’t another leech like the yank.
I doubt there’s any truth in it. I would like him to stay stirring it up
Even if he doesn’t sell to Kroenke I have a feeling he’ll get his hands on them sooner or later. Nothing to stop the buyer selling at a mark-up soon after.
Painful.
#Kroenke Out
Do the right thing… leave a sinking ship with holes in the stern an old outdated captain steering it to destruction…
Do the right thing… leave a sinking ship with holes in the stern and an “old outdated” captain steering it to destruction…
Do the right thing… leave a “sinking ship with holes in the stern and an old outdated captain steering it to destruction”…
The issue that really sticks out is who he sells his shares to? I would hope it would be someone who demands to be on the board to help push the club in the right direction – which Stan would not like one bit, or someone who would be happy to invest their money, sit back and happily watch their investment grow. Sadly, I fear it will be the latter…
I think the club really could do with David Dean back in the fold.
It’s clear Wenger needs help in the transfer market but they would never go for a formal Director of Football for it.
Someone like Dean can both help with player transfers, as well the crucial bit of succession planning for Wenger – which also seems to be procrastinated by the club.
David Dean
Haha, the cruelty of auto-correct!
It was David Dein that brought Kroenke and Usmanov to the table in the first place. Let’s not pretend he’s blameless in all of this.
and after that when it came to selling our shares it was also him who told us between the two Usmanov is the sane choice. his idea was the other way around so the ambitious richman would be the head owner and the American businessman as a simple share holder as Usmanov is now. wasnt that one of the reasons Kroenke didnt want to be involved in Arsenal anymore by the way?…
The guy who sold his shares to Usmanov and who wanted to rent Wembley from the idiots at the FA putting us eternally under their thumb and having to play at a godawful stadium which takes hours to get to. That would solve everything.
Just imagine if he did. Add to that the fact that Spurs will soon have the same capacity stadium as us, Liverpool are growing again and it’s only a matter of time before all the dreams we had, all the bright future that would come from all the trials and tribulations of building The Emirates would come to nothing. What would Arsene Wenger’s real legacy be then? It could prove to be the greatest mistake the club has ever made in hindsight. I’m worried that we are going to get left behind. We have basically stood still as a club… Read more »
Wonder if he’s brushed up on Everton’s historic cup winning sides?
Fuck Dein. He made himself an (even richer) rich man by selling his shares and getting us into this mess.
Everton are ripe for a cheap buy out when Kenwright decides to retire. Moshiri has already started revolutionising the Everton infrastructure and playing staff, but in a sensible and understated way. The prise for Mr Usmanov, should he wish to go for it, is not just to buy into Everton, but into Peel Holdings Development that owns the prime but currently awaiting development north Liverpool docklands area that just needs planning permission for the new Everton stadium to be the centrepiece of the “mini city” that would be at the core of a bid for the Commonwealth Games 2026. The… Read more »
If this is in the public domain then why would it be cheap? Surely that would be factored into the price.
The rest of the argument looks perfectly feasible though.
Everton have nothing to do with Peel Holdings. The latter are a company formed by, inter alia, Liverpool City Council to take over ownership of the vacant former dockland. They have outline planning permission in place for a “docklands city” development. EFC itself is not of itself of high value (relative to e.g. London Clubs). BUT PH need a catalyst / focal point for their vision of the dockside development. Everton now have an investor (Moshiri) to build a stadium but no land. Its not like the Council are being asked to build a stadium and then give it to… Read more »
Hot off the press. http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/everton-would-pay-around-20m-11761642 How much land would £20mil get you in London? And £20mil is just the opening position for negotiations. PH need EFC as much as EFC need PH to make the project happen. Mr Usmanov, if I am wrong in that you had not thought of it, but you are reading this, think seriously about it!!!!!! PS, before anyone says “why do Liverpool need a big development like this?”, Liverpool was at its peak before all trade / investment started venting southwards towards the Euro markets. Brexit creates a new dynamic, with new opportunities, at a… Read more »
Maybe Usmanov is tired of watching his money pile up, cos you know he’s already got billions he won’t ever aoend, and he can’t physically spend it on his passion…the club he invested in. Maybe he’s got a stockpile of 200mil he ACTUALLY wants to spend. Maybe he’s tired of his ‘Project’ with Arsenal, sees it doesn’t have a future he likes, and sees Everton as another club where he can actually get stuck in and influence it’s future. Just a thought if this story is true.
We can speculate all we like on Usmanov’s intentions. What has been clear from the beginning is that he is just another billionaire investor, looking to invest and make more money. On top of that, he may well be a United fan and his money is dirty. What irritates me is that many fans think Usmanov doesn’t even want a return on his investment! He would buy Spu*s if he could.
did anybody say more Kroenke? hurray!! I love the guy, he doesnt give fuck about money unlike any other owner in PL
don’t blame him really
It would be really bad for Arsenal. One more club with more cash and bigger ambitions than us would make us less attractive for the best players and managers.
Think what you will about Usmanov but we wouldn’t be dithering in the transfermarket with him in charge and he wouldn’t settle for second (fourth) best as we are today.
Usmanov has released many mixed messages to appease us Arsenal fans. You still believe that he would have brought his dirty money into Arsenal and went all out for trophy success? Don’t you think he will want a nice little return? The grass is not always greener.
Well if you look a bit south you’ll have a perfect example of how i believe he would act and you know what? Our grass is getting mighty brown.
Like it or not.
Lies! The Emirates pitch is always a high quality playing surface with grass as green as Kermit’s arm-pits.
It’s possible that’s not what you meant, though.
now with all plastic Arsenal people, Dien Henry Osmanov Rice all gone we can finally realize our ambitious plans for Mr. Stan’s bank account with no pressure.
A truly bizarre comment. Lumping Pat Rice in with Usmanov?
Surely he could sell it to a David Dein-backed consortium, or Mr. Dein himself (if he had th funds)?
He would be the piece in the jigsaw Wenger has spent the past 10 years trying to solve.
Put the pipe down now, it’s messing with your judgement.
This is really a bad news. He was the only one who could have lifted us from the mess Kroenke is about to lead us to. And Everton will now become another club with which we cannot compete financially. If Kroenke stays at Arsenal I think our club will be left behind and will no longer be a top club. Hope Kroenke leaves our club ASAP.
Let’s hope whoever he sells his shares to at least tries to get Mr. Stan more involved in the club. Being a majority stake holder is more than just having a well-groomed moustache, turning a blind eye to the club’s failure year after year in major competitions that we take part in, being satisfied with just the growth of massive cash reserves in our bank and looking somber all the time.
What would I pay to just have a chance to throw a massive chicken nugget at Kroenke’s face.
Kroenke is not to blame. He has an md and a manager to run the club. We don’t need a hands on chairman. We need gazidis and wenger to stop faffing and be more effective
With that being said, who is holding them to account? The board and ‘majority shareholder’ don’t seem to care that the football side of the business (you know, Arsenal’s core business) is not showing any signs of growth.
If this actually happens Everton will be another club to leapfrog Arsenal in both a financial and footballing sense, Usmanov will not give Two fucks about FFp and building a self sustaining business model, he will have a point to prove and will provide the cash to do it.
Wish Usmanov would stab me with his little pork sword in the Diamond Club.
Usmanov is worth about twice that of Kroenke with a networth close to 14 billion dollars with Kroenke being worth around 8 billion, and he is actually a good friend of Abramovich who owns Chelsea.
And like Abramovich he likes to have fun with his money because where is the purpose of just hoarding as much money as possible just because reasons. You only live once, so you might aswell enjoy it.
Anyways watch Everton overtake us within 4-5 years time if Usmanov team up with Moshiri over there.
Wow you seem to know him really well. Can you get me an invite to his bank holiday Barrie?
Or are you just setting down what you would like to be true?
It’s the latter
Our club is a joke……joke owners, joke manager, joke transfer policy, joke ticket prices, joke youth system, joke contract negotiations with current players, joke ambition/goals set, joke medical department……it’s all a big joke!!!!
– Only i’m not Laughing
Our youth system that produces good players every year is a joke? Yeah bellerin, iwobi, wilshere etc are useless
The irony, i remember when ppl where called plastics for wanting Usmanov to buy out Kronke. I never understood why anyone would be against splashing the cash for success. If you can afford it, send it
Apologies to all the Arsenal fans who were telling us Arsene was past it 5 years ago.
You guys have great foresight
Well that came from left of field. It’s almost as if fate is working really hard to find new ways to fack things up for Arsenal supporters these days. In fact, now I think of it, save for the odd FA Cup, or hilarious Spurs screw up, events have been on a generally downward trajectory since we lost to united in Nov 04. Unfortunately, this news has the potential to keep things heading that way..
Hope to god we are not about to enter into a Pool – Gillet/Hicks scenario with Arsenal.
What an odd world the english top flight lives in. Your club is either a ‘sports business’ ie. a cash cow for a rich businessman. Or alternatively, a rich criminal’s plaything, for pumping cash into without worrying about getting anything back, to make up for their small penis. Do any football clubs actually exist? Clubs, the point of which is to play football, and give pleasure or pain to people who like to watch?
Everton are showing the sort of ambition that we should!!!
No, Everton management are showing the ambition that Arsenal’s management should. We the supporters have plenty of ambition, but unfortunately it’s not shared by the Board, management or even one or two of the players..
Usmanov is actually an Arsenal fan but knows the board will block him from becoming involved. I’m not surprised if he’s frustrated and walks away. We would be better off if Kroenke and the board walked away.
If Usmanov is selling his shares, it means that he has reliable information that the ship is sinking. Arsenal FC is now Kroenke’s cash cow and has no ambition to compete with big clubs, only to qualify for CL and make $$$$ for Kroenke. On transfer market Arsenal FC only feasts on scraps of what the real big clubs don’t want. Maximising Kroenke’s profit is the only ambition Wenger and Gazidiz have.
Stan Kroenke is the answer to what’s wrong with Arsenal.
He’s hated in every city he owns something. Everyone who knows him loathes him.
He has literally destroyed not just sports clubs but normal middle class people lives.
After reading about him I’m convinced of all the owners in the world he is the absolute worst.
This cunt owns our club…we are really fucked.
I will only forgive Wenger when after leaving Arsenal he comes out and says he did the best he could and the real reason of his unreasonable decisions was this life sucker Stan Kroenke. Untill then I hold him equally responsible.
Time to reanimate fanshare – sell the shares to Arsenal fans who hold them in trust and get board representation which would be voted for by the fan shareholders.
That would reinvigorate the club at board level and ensure AW is held to account in ways that frankly he isn’t as things stand.
Which of course means that the likeliehood of it actually happening are close to zero
Sell it to the Chinese and maybe they would takeover and shake things up. Can’t be worse than the American or former Soviet Union we’ve had until now. A Thai owner for Leicester certainly worked out.
Stan! U can go if u can and free urself frm idiotic kronke and Wenger.
Arsenal could be better off with Usmanov. He is the man who loves the team and could make the team attract top players. Currently Arsenal is just another ordinary team in London and Stan wants to keep it that way. I as a supporter, I am very disgusted. Arsene and Stan should just go and let Usmanov take over.
Despite all the praise for Usmanov on here from those on here who have believed his well timed press releases that have never actually been followed through on, he is actually in a terrible position with his Arsenal stake. KSE own a majority position so can effectively do what they like. They can (and do) appoint exactly the board they like and run it how they want. They cannot be out voted. Usmanov and other shareholders have to be kept informed of major issues, but they have no ability to do anything unless they can prove that the majority shareholder… Read more »
You make it sound like the money at Arsenal is all Usmanov has. Or is he forbidden by law to own shares in both clubs?
Under UEFA rules you cannot own two clubs. There are ways of trying to hide it like Ashby did with Rangers and Newcastle, but they look at it pretty closely
it would be fantastic if he flooded the market with Arsenal shares, devaluing them to the point where a: we as fans could afford to buy in and b: Stan starts to sweat enough to put some money on the pitch to shore up the value of his investment and force the share price back up with actual trophies
again, because both of these scenarios are ideal, neither will happen
I have always been of the school of thought that money is money. Whether Usmanov got it clean or not is not of concern to me.All I care about is our performance in the field, so if pumping in his money could have helped then I could be more happy a man.