ARSENE WENGER has admitted he is open to helping Daniel Ek’s takeover bid after praising the involvement of former players.
Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira are all said to be part of the Spotify billionaire’s plan to buy the club.
And the former manager, 71, highlighted their involvement as a positive for the potential takeover, in the hope they follow Bayern Munich’s example.
But he expressed doubts over Ek’s chances of success after he announced the bid before reaching an agreement with Stan Kroenke.
Wenger told beIN Sports: “I like the fact that [the deal would see] former people of the club run the club.
“Basically you have two examples in football; former players who run the club like Bayern, or big investors who buy a club like Manchester City.
“I personally, because I’m a football man, I like the fact that former Arsenal players take over and give advice.
“For the project, I believe and prefer personally [that] the best deals are when nobody knew about it and you come out and it’s done.
“Once you announce things, you have a mountain to climb. Nobody wants to give in.
“It’s better always when you do your deals, it’s done, you come out and [announce it].”
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Current owner Kroenke, 73, began investing in Arsenal in 2007 and became majority shareholder four years later, with Wenger still in the dugout.
A disappointing few seasons for the Gunners and the European Super League debacle has led to heightened fan calls for the club to be sold.
Yet Kroenke, who has appointed son Josh to the broad and former midfielder Edu as technical director, has dismissed the notion.
When asked if he wanted to join the Invincibles trio and Ek in formulating a takeover, Wenger insisted the club must come first.
The Frenchman said: “Look, I will always support Arsenal. If I can help Arsenal I will do it in any way. That’s my answer.”
He added: “I always put Arsenal first.
“I sacrificed many of the best years of my life in my career to help the club build the new stadium and pay it back without any money from anybody.
“We didn’t go out and say we needed money, we did it with the quality of our work and we kept the club at the top.
“Yes, I was criticised, you have to accept that when you’re in a public job. I think nobody would question the fact that I did it genuinely and with the desire to do what is best for the club.”
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
