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Spotify chief executive Daniel Ek revealed on Saturday that he had made an offer this week to buy Arsenal, the English Premier League football club, but was turned down by the club’s US owners.
The offer from Ek, the founding billionaire of the music streaming service, came less than a month after it was made public with his interest in buying the North London club, where resentment among fans against its owners have been boiling for years.
In an image shared on his Twitter account, Ek wrote that he had made an offer for the club, owned by US billionaire mogul Stan Kroenke, in response to “inaccurate reports” that he had made no offer.
Ek said his was made to Kroenke’s son Josh, who is the club’s director and vice president of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE), and also shared with the owners’ bankers.
“They replied that they don’t need the money,” Ek wrote. “I respect your decision, but I am interested and available if that situation ever changes.”
Arsenal, who won the Premier League for the first time in 2004, noted a previous statement made by KSE, in which the group made it clear that it did not sell the club or entertain any offers.
Stan Kroenke became a shareholder in Arsenal in 2007 and took majority control four years later. In 2018, it acquired the remaining 30% from Russian metal mogul Alisher Usmanov for £ 550 million in cash, ending a high-profile battle for control between the couple.
Arsenal fans have for years accused the Kroenkes of not being committed to developing the club so that it can compete at the highest levels of English and European football.
This rage was rekindled last month when Arsenal were one of twelve European clubs to sign a pro-independence European Super League, a plan that collapsed after just two days after the reaction from fans and politicians.
Arsenal were one of six English clubs, including Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, who quickly withdrew from the Superliga following criticism from their fans.
The breakaway competition was criticized because it was effectively a closed league with permanent positions for its founders, making it harder for rivals to get into their ranks. Within days of the announcement, on April 18, Ek made clear his affection for the club and revealed his interest in acquiring him from the Kroenkes.
The UK government left the pro-independence league and subsequently set up a review of football governance that will consider whether an independent regulator is needed for sport. Ek said his offer included “fan ownership, board representation and a gold quota for supporters.”
Tim Payton, a board member of the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust, asked Josh Kroenke to explain why the offer was turned down.
“The orientation of English football, with a greater desire to involve government fans in the Premier League for fans, is not compatible with the KSE model,” he said. “If they can’t adapt, it would be best to leave English football.”
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