Henry reveals status of Arsenal takeover and Daniel Ek’s aims

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 17 May 2021 15:14 BST
• 3 min read

Thierry Henry says that the proposed Arsenal takeover bid from Daniel Ek is very real and that the Spotify CEO has already made contact with owner Stan Kroenke over the purchase of the club.

While the Kroenke regime has rarely been popular with Arsenal fans, it hit a new low in the aftermath of the European Super League’s failure.

READ MORE: Sack Arteta, sign Odegaard – five things Daniel Ek must do at Arsenal if a takeover happens

Ek was quick to voice his desire to step in, backed by club legends such as Henry and Patrick Vieira and Dennis Bergkamp.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Henry confirmed that the intention of the Swede to buy the club is very real.

“It is true. Daniel is an Arsenal fan, he didn’t say it for any publicity. He is an Arsenal fan for a very long time,” he said.

“He already – I’ll give you something – reached out to the Kroenkes and already said himself that he had collected the funds to make sure that he can put in a good bid.

“They now need to listen. A lot of people have been screaming that they want the owner out. We are trying to offer a solution involving the fans and getting the DNA of the club back.”

It is expected that Ek will make an initial offer for the club in the region of £1.8 billion by the weekend.

Will the Arsenal takeover be successful?

While the interest is real, Henry does not think it is a straightforward job to get a deal over the line.

“I think it is going to be long and not easy – if it does ever happen. One thing that I want to reiterate is that Daniel will not move away, he will be there waiting to see if they want to sell.

“That is going to take a very long time, we know what we want to do, but first and foremost we need to make sure that we can take over, if they are listening.”

What does Daniel Ek want to do at Arsenal?

Henry says that the ultimate goal of the Spotify CEO is to give supporters a greater stake in the club and to get the ‘Arsenal DNA’ back.

“When we knew first and foremost that he wanted to involve the fans, we actually met the Arsenal Supporters Trust and told them what we wanted to do,” Henry said.

READ MORE: Controversial Spotify billionaire Daniel Ek is not the hero Arsenal need

“We want to bring them back on board, being part of the meetings, knowing what’s happening because you need to put the DNA back into the club.

“But he wants to reinject the Arsenal DNA, the identity that for me is long gone. You don’t have Arsenal people there among the board that can show the right direction.”