One rumour that they would like to squash is that the family’s 67 per cent shareholding is attainable. A £1 billion bid from Alisher Usmanov, who himself owns 30 per cent, was immediately rejected earlier this year and it is understood that there have been no further offers since. “Just go look at our history,” said Kroenke Snr. “We get into these things to try to grow them .You don’t see us selling things. You just don’t. We are committed long-term.”
Asked if there was “ever” any chance of him considering an offer, he replied: “No. Absolutely not. That’s just not our model.” Kroenke is now 70, long established among the richest billionaires in the world and, as he further weighed up the question, there was a shake of his head. “I’m at a stage in life where…what good does that do? I love Arsenal, love being involved with Arsenal. There no finer feeling than going out and winning like we did with the FA Cup.
“That whole afternoon and evening, we talked about what happened on the pitch. Wonderful. The feeling is contagious and it makes you want to keep doing it. There’s so many easier ways to make money, I can assure you.Much, much easier.”
Kroenke Jnr, who is 37, runs the family’s Denver Nuggets basketball andColorado Avalanche ice-hockey teams but describes “soccer” as his “first love” in sport. “My body type became more a basketball player unless I was going to be a goalkeeper or centre-back,” he says. And could Josh see Arsenal remaining “through the generations” of the Kroenke family? “Without a doubt,” he said.
Speaking exclusively on the eve of the Gunners' AGM, the US businessman insists their manager of 21 years remains the "right guy" for the job
"It’s easy to change coaches and people do it all the time. But the hardest thing is to replicate success and remain competitive."
“When you have someone that passionate, when you get one who hasreally demonstrated that level of excellence – a good character – do you say: ‘Hey, we should get rid of him or we should make a change’?
“We have a lot of respect for Arséne — we are not going to be pushy about things. I think he treated us with respect as well and always has."
“I think three out of four FA Cups is pretty darn good.”
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Wenger
“My hunger, my commitment is bigger than ever. I question myself a lot, don’t worry, I will sit down every year to see where I go.
“No matter what happens one day I will always love this club forever and be an eternal fan.”
There is a long spell of applause for Wenger after his speech. One man even stands to applaud him.