Arsenal fans did not have to wait long to find out who would be interesting in taking the club from Stan Kroenke’s and KSE’s hands.
Kroenke has faced intense criticism since his initial arrival in 2007 ahead of becoming a majority shareholder in 2011, but he might just have hit a new low with fans.
Arsenal agreed to become a founding member of The Super League on Sunday before pledging to withdraw from the league just 48 hours later.
The move sparked protests from supporters who congregated outside the Emirates Stadium on Friday night ahead of Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat to Everton.
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And during those protests, Spotify co-founder and lifelong Arsenal fan Daniel Ek expressed his interest in buying the club, sparking excitement among fans.
He wrote on Twitter: “As a kid growing up, I’ve cheered for @Arsenal as long as I can remember. If KSE would like to sell Arsenal I’d be happy to throw my hat in the ring.”
But how much is Ek worth? And can he afford to buy Arsenal?
Ek’s net worth is £3.1billion having been a co-founder of Spotify and remaining the largest shareholder, still holding a large stake of the platform, which has around 345million users.
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That net worth is only around half of Kroenke’s £5.91billion bank balance, but Arsenal have not exactly seen the benefit of that anyway, so it’s almost certain they will be happy to see someone with a smaller net worth take over the club if they are willing to invest.
The issue is, Josh Kroenke recently said his family, who bought Arsenal for around £550million, have “no intention to sell” Arsenal in the near future, suggesting an uphill battle for Ek, even if he is truly interested.
Arsenal’s club value has also more than doubled since Kroenke bought it, meaning Ek would likely need partners or a big loan to purchase the club.