Here are your Arsenal morning headlines for Sunday, April 25.
Bellerin to PSG latest
Hector Bellerin is being tracked by PSG ahead of this summer.
Bellerin has been linked with a move away from the Gunners with reports claiming Mikel Arteta promised the full-back last summer he would revisit the idea of a departure this summer if he stayed for another season.
That sparked rumours over a move back to Barcelona for the defender, but the latest links involve Ligue 1 giants PSG with L’Equipe saying the deal could be one to keep an eye on.
PSG are said to be keen to improve the right-side of their defence this summer, and Bellerin has come up as a possibility.
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Wright backs protests
Arsenal legend Ian Wright says he ‘stands with’ supporters who protested on Friday evening.
Thousands of Gunners fans flocked to the Emirates Stadium ahead of Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat to Everton to protest against the club’s ownership group, KSE.
And Wright has backed them, telling DAZN: “I stand with them. I made it clear the other day what I think about the owner. I think they’re right to be outside there, the fans have every right to be out there saying what they’re saying.
“KSE are not fit to run the club, not fit to own the club.”
Can Ek afford to buy Arsenal?
Arsenal might already have found themselves a potential new buyer amid protests over Stan Kroenke’s ownership, but can he afford to buy the club?
Spotify co-founder Daniel Ek is hoping to buy the club amid discontent with current owners KSE, writing on Twitter during the protests: “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.”
The question is, however, whether Ek, with his £3.1billion net worth, can afford to actually buy Arsenal, even if KSE decided to sell up.
There are a lot of factors at play when it comes to purchasing a club.
(Image: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
If we are discussing the possibility of KSE selling 100% of its shares and EK buying them all, it’s not a likely scenario.
Ek may be worth £3.1billion, but that is not all available cash, and in any case, he is not going to give up more than half of his net worth to buy a football club, nor any business.
According to Forbes, Arsenal are now worth just over £2billion with annual revenues of £309million and an operating income of £33.8million.
That club value has risen 23% in the last two years alone and has risen significantly since KSE bought the club.
It’s difficult to estimate just how much Kroenke actually bought Arsenal for, given he bought shares in the club in 2007 and significantly increased shareholdings in 2011 and then finished purchasing Arsenal Holdings in 2018.
But in 2011, the shares Kroenke bought put Arsenal’s total value at the time at £731M, suggesting the club has more than doubled in value since that time.
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With that in mind, Ek would need a partner to purchase Arsenal, as well as loans depending on his available cash situation, though that is entirely normal for businesses or individuals purchasing stakes.
Ek has a net worth of around half of Stan Kroenke, whose net worth is currently just under £6billion, but he could still purchase Arsenal.
It would just take a consortium effort or significant partner, given KSE are extremely unlikely to sell the club for a penny less than its worth.