It is rumoured that Stan Kroenke is on the verge of upping his stake in the club following the death of Sir Ernest Harrison. The American is currently only around one per cent short of the thirty per cent figure that would mean he would be obliged to make an offer to buy the club outright.

Peter Hill-Wood surprisingly intimated last week that he would be perfectly happy for Kroenke to take over the club but questions are still being asked of Kroenke’s motives. Apparently he would need at least £400 million to complete the purchase which, given the current financial situation, he may be reluctant to stump up.

Also, Alisher Usmanov had previously hinted that he was waiting for the right time to buy the club so Kroenke’s eagerness to increase his shareholding may be solely aimed at blocking Usmanov’s efforts rather than paving the way for his own take over. The current board have warmed to Kroenke so even if he did launch a takeover, the current set up of the club’s hierarchy is unlikely to change significantly. An American owner is not at the top of anyone’s wish list but at this stage it doesn’t look like the worst option either.

With the next AGM on the horizon, many Arsenal fans will be hoping for the future of the club to be made clearer. Whatever his motives, it appears that Stan Kroenke is in for the long haul and will have a role to play.

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