Spotify founder Daniel Ek expresses interest in buying Arsenal

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Last updated Apr 24, 2021

The current owners, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, have faced a barrage of criticism for their decision to join the failed Super League
Spotify founder Daniel Ek has expressed his interest in buying Arsenal.

Current owners Kroenke Sports & Entertainment have come under fire for the failed Super League project, with Gunners fans making their feelings known at a protest on Friday.

Josh Kroenke has said his family has no plans to sell, but a potential buyer is in the frame in the shape of Ek.

What has been said?

"As a kid growing up, I've cheered for Arsenal as long as I can remember," Ek wrote on Twitter.

"If KSE would like to sell Arsenal I'd be happy to throw my hat in the ring."

The Kroenke position

Arsenal were one of six Premier League clubs - the others being Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham - to sign up to the Super League, only for it to collapse amid a wave of protests.

Josh Kroenke attended a fans’ forum on Thursday and was given a severe grilling, but he maintained that the position of the family was to remain in charge and move forward.

The protests continued ahead of Arsenal’s loss to Everton on Friday, and with the Gunners struggling on the field that mood is unlikely to shift.


Who is Daniel Ek?

Swedish entrepreneur Daniel Ek is worth an estimated £3.38bn (€4.7bn/$5.68bn), according to Forbes, with his fortune built on the back of the music streaming service Spotify.

The 38-year-old founded that venture back in 2006 and it has grown to amass over 350 million subscribers.

Not everyone has, however, taken kindly to Ek's remarks about potentially taking over at Arsenal.

The front man for English rock band The Charlatans, Tim Burgess, wrote on Twitter: "Could we ask that you get things sorted out with musicians before jumping in with footballers??"

The animosity relates to the fees that artists are paid for each play of their works, which is comparatively low.

Indeed, Graeme Souness joked on Sky Sports that Ek would need to spend more than £4bn to sort out the Gunners, who find themselves in ninth place in the Premier League table.

Arsenal: Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira join Spotify founder's bid to buy club

By Laura Scott

BBC Sport



Thierry Henry (left), Dennis Bergkamp (centre) and Patrick Vieira (right)



Arsenal legends Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira have joined Spotify founder and billionaire Daniel Ek's bid to buy the club.

Owner Stan Kroenke has no intention to sell, but more than 1,000 fans protested outside Emirates Stadium on Friday calling for him to quit.

Arsenal had announced they were one of 12 founding members of the European Super League the previous Sunday.

But just 48 hours later, they withdrew and apologised to fans.

Kroenke's son, Josh, told an Arsenal fans forum on Thursday that his family have no intention of selling and promised to engage with fans in future - he refused to answer a question about their exit strategy, responding: "I'm not willing to answer that question because we have no intention of selling."


On Friday, Swedish businessman Ek, 38, who is worth a reported 4.7 billion US dollars (£3.38bn) tweeted: "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."



Arsenal apologised in an open letter to their fans following their withdrawal from the European Super League and said they had "made a mistake", adding that they were withdrawing after listening to supporters and the "wider football community".

The Gunners board said they did not intend to "cause such distress" and that they joined the Super League because they "did not want to be left behind" and wanted to ensure the club's future.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says Kroenke has apologised to him.



Who is Kroenke?



A 73-year-old American owner of numerous sports franchises, including NFL side the Los Angeles Rams and NBA team the Denver Nuggets.


Kroenke took a 9.9% stake in Arsenal in 2007 and slowly built up his shareholding until it reached 62.89% in April 2011. He was subsequently involved in a power battle with Alisher Usmanov but emerged successful and now owns the entire club.


Vinai Venkatesham is Arsenal's chief executive but Josh Kroenke is a director and heavily involved in the club's day-to-day operations.