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Fans are behind Gunners’ board
‘We must not lose control of the club’
ARSENAL’S largest supporters’ group has given its “overwhelming support” to Arsenal’s management structure and backed the club’s refusal to turn to a foreign investor.
The Gunners, run by a consortium of directors and with player recruitment responsibilities resting with the manager, are among a handful of Premiership clubs to resist the lure of overseas ownership.
After a frenzied end to the summer transfer window on Monday night, Arsenal now face the prospect of Manchester City, bank-rolled by the trillion-pound fortune of the royal family of the United Arab Emirates, gate-crashing the cosy elite of the big four.
Paul Matz, chairman of the Arsenal Independent Supporters’ Association, said: “We had our AGM on Monday and we voted to give our overwhelming support to maintaining the management structure we have at Arsenal. Of course, everyone would like the club to have more money. But once you hand over control of the club to a single person you lose it forever.”
Alishar Usmanov, the Russian billionaire with the largest single stake in the club, has been blocked from any hostile takeover at the club by the Arsenal board.
Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United, Newcastle, Aston Villa, West Ham and Manchester City are all now in the hands of foreign owners.
On Monday, City smashed the British transfer record with the signing of Brazilian superstar Robinho, while Dimitar Berbatov was unveiled as Manchester United’s new star striker.
Wenger has long maintained he can spend whatever he likes, “as long as the player is right”, and that Arsenal’s wage bill is on a par with Manchester United.
But after the Newcastle match on Saturday he hinted the “credit crunch” was preventing any major signing.
He said: “The problem always is, firstly, availability and, secondly, that you can find a player better or as good as the ones we have, and, thirdly, listening to Alistair Darling this morning I am a bit scared to spend a lot of money.
“There is a terrible hurricane in England – perhaps it is better not to do it.” |
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