Alisher Usmanov has made a counter bid for Arsenal, but it is evident that it is going to fail. The current board, the two selling shareholders and Arsene Wenger all prefer Stan Kroenke as prospective owner.
Alisher Usmanov has made a counter bid for Arsenal, but it is evident that it is going to fail. The current board, the two selling shareholders and Arsene Wenger all prefer Stan Kroenke as prospective owner.
However, Usmanov is not a happy individual. He thinks that he has been stitched up by the Arsenal board and is unlikely to sell his stake. In that event the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust (AST) thinks that he should be offered a seat on the board, taking the view that Arsenal is too important to be owned by one person.
The Trust thinks it is unlikely that Kroenke will purchase over 90 per cent of the remaining shares in the club to squeeze out the existing small shareholders. There are currently 1,600 minor shareholders in Arsenal, holding around 10 per cent of the club. The AST claims to represent about three per cent of them, while a further 1,800 fans have joined the ‘Fanshare’ scheme.
The AST has welcomed Stan Kroenke’s pledge not to delist Arsenal from the PLUS markets.