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Daniel Ek and Thierry Henry spotted watching Arsenal match, prompting rumours of new takeover bid

By | Published on Monday 27 September 2021

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Speculation that Daniel Ek’s plans to buy Arsenal football club are still on grew yesterday after the Spotify founder was spotted watching the team’s 3-1 victory against Tottenham alongside former player Thierry Henry.

It emerged earlier this year that Ek was working on a bid to acquire the club alongside Henry and two other former Arsenal players, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira.

Henry confirmed this shortly after Ek publicly stated his interest in buying the football team, saying: “It is true. Daniel is an Arsenal fan. He did not say it for any publicity, he has been an Arsenal fan for a very long time. He approached us, we listened to him. And we knew, first and foremost, that he wanted to involve the fans. He wants to re-inject the Arsenal DNA, the identity that I think is long gone”.

A bid worth a reported £1.8 billion was presented to current Arsenal owner Kroenke Sports & Entertainment in May, but it was promptly rejected.

Ek tweeted at the time, “This week an offer was made to both Josh Kroenke and their bankers that included fan ownership, representation at board and a golden share for the supporters. They replied that they don’t need the money. I respect their decision but remain interested and available should that situation ever change”.

The Kroenke family’s ownership of Arsenal has been unpopular – exacerbated further by their support for the Super League proposal that was made and ultimately failed earlier this year. The sighting of Ek and Henry together sparked rumours that their takeover bid is still on. Josh Kroenke was also seen at the match (albeit elsewhere in the stadium), leading some to put two and two together (and quite possibly make five).

Following the Super League debacle, Kroenke said that he would be more visible at the club and promised to listen to the wishes of fans more. Although many still feel that he has not done enough.

Whether or not Ek plans to propose buying the club again, or just went to watch a match with his new mate Thierry Henry, remains to be seen.



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