Kroenke won’t leave (Picture: Getty)
Kroenke won’t leave (Picture: Getty)

Stan Kroenke’s plans for the future of Arsenal Football Club have rattled fans, who are desperate to see him leave, after he outlined his long-term vision.

Supporters regularly protest the American owner’s involvement at the Emirates, with a perceived lack of funds put forward to build the squad and a lack of ambition at the forefront of supporters’ minds.

With second-largest shareholder Alisher Usmanov – who owns roughly 30% of Arsenal – recently claiming he would not sell his shares to Kroenke, focus had switched to whether the 70-year-old would sell up himself after being frustrated at not assuming full control of the club.

But rather than down tools, Kroenke has now announced he plans to keep the club in the Kroenke family forever.

He told the Mirror: ‘There are a lot of easier ways, so many easier ways, to make money, I assure you! You guys talk about the downs, maybe that’s the nature of it, but if you’re just trying to make money there are a lot easier ways to do it.

Kroenke is not a popular figure at Arsenal (Picture: Getty)

‘If you look at our history – just go look at our history. We get into these things to try to build them, to try to grow them. You don’t see us selling things. You just don’t. Go and check us. We are committed long-term.

‘No, [I would] absolutely not [sell Arsenal]. That’s just not our model, not what we do. I’m at a stage in life where what good does that do?

‘I love Arsenal, love being involved with Arsenal. There is no finer feeling that going out and winning, like we did with the FA Cup. There’s no finer feeling — wonderful, wonderful feeling.

‘Look, we want to be champions of everything. Premier League, Champions League – we want them all. When they list them on my phone, they list a third one, they list the FA Cup: Arsenal. Right there; that’s your list of champions.

Protests have been made against him (Picture: AFP/Getty)

‘We shouldn’t sell that short. Do we want to win more? Absolutely. We want them. We have to do better but don’t sell short the FA Cup and Arsene’s record setting.

‘His record of consistency through 20 years. We did fall out of the Champions League but with four more points than finishing second. It’s competitive and arguably more competitive.’

His words were obviously well received by Gooners…

And to cheer the Arsenal fanbase up even more, Kroenke even described them as ‘rabid’.

‘The best thing is the rabid fans… the worst thing is the rabid fans,’ he added.

‘They are passionate about the club, they have the right to their opinions and the only part I worry about is how it affects the players and the coaching staff. It can have a bad effect on that group and that’s the last group you want it to have a bad effect upon.

‘That’s how I look at it. They always have opinions, they are certainly entitled to them… I know there were some opinions about what we should do about Arsene. But we have always had a lot of respect for Arsene [Wenger].’

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