The images of Daniel Ek attending the north London derby win on Sunday circulated across Arsenal social media. The television coverage panned to the Swedish billionaire sitting with Thierry Henry as they enjoyed the 3-1 victory.
Ek has had an offer to buy the club knocked back by Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke. After the Super League fiasco, the Spotify CEO saw an opportunity to tempt Kroenke into selling but was not successful.
He took to social media to explain that Stan’s son Josh, who is heavily involved with the running of the club, had notified him that they did not need his money and wouldn’t be selling.
“I think it's important to correct the record - 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 supporter,” he wrote on social media.
"They replied that they don’t need the money.
"I remain interested should that situation ever change."
After things went quiet on the Ek front, many suspected that this had been a flash in the pan but Ek’s interest in the club, alongside his intention to be aided by legend Thierry Henry in addition to Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira, was legitimised on Sunday.
The talk of a possible takeover is far from dead and Ek’s words of a continual interest in buying the club, should anything change, appears headstrong.
The Kroenke family have been criticised for their disconnect from the Arsenal fan base and the understanding of where the club should be aiming.
However, Josh Kroenke was also in attendance for the north London derby, spotted by supporters in the executive box ahead of the match.
Josh Kroenke has spoken of wanting to build bridges between the ownership and the supporters after the Super League collapse.
In a Fans Forum days after the announcement that the club would be pulling out from the Super League proposals, Josh Kroenke explained his ambitions at a social level.
“If you're expecting to see me more, absolutely. Let's start on this call right now. From a board perspective, we as a club came together and made the decision as a board,” he said.
“That's why we put out the statement as we did, apologising immediately and if you're hoping to interact with me on a more meaningful basis going forward, you have my word that's absolutely the case.”
However, further issues have since arisen as the club announced that they would be holding 3 Fans Forums each year, but that Josh would only be present for ‘at least one' of them:
‘The Fans’ Forum will continue to meet three times a year to discuss more operational matters and will be attended by chief executive Vinai Venkatesham and other senior executives. Josh Kroenke will attend at least one Fans’ Forum each season.’
It is a fair critique that should he want to better the relationship with supporters, making the time to commit to attending all three Fan Forums would be a big step.
With Ek’s presence reminding supporters of a future with an alternative, Arsenal-supporting owner, the pressure will only increase on KSE to deliver much-needed progression.
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