Josh Kroenke Unsure If Relationship With Arsenal Fans Can Ever Be Fully Repaired

By The Editor
on 1st August 2024

The Kroenke family have endured a rocky relationship with the Gunners faithful…

Arsenal owner Josh Kroenke is unsure whether or not his family’s relationship with the Gunners faithful can ever be fully repaired following a tumultuous 13-year tenure, ESPN reports.

Stan Kroenke became the club’s majority shareholder in 2011 and it took a number of years before we even heard him speak about the club publicly.

It was in 2017 that Stan finally said a few words at the club’s AGM in front of former shareholders of the club as he offered his support to Arsene Wenger who was under increasing pressure.

Since then, a lot has happened. Wenger left a year later in what was publicly framed as a ‘mutual agreement’ – though that narrative was never fully supported by the Frenchman.

The club’s replacement in Unai Emery had a disastrous tenure – unaided by instability above him as the club failed to nail down a coherent structure.

Mikel Arteta then came in and was instantly backed by the fans given his previous ties to the club and his ability as an orator. The Spaniard also won a trophy months into his reign in trying times as the world shut down due to a global pandemic.

Then came the biggest rift between the ownership and fanbase as Arsenal led a group of European clubs who aimed to create a break-away European Super League in 2021. Those plans were quickly abandoned following widespread protests nationwide – though those scars still remain.

While the ownership have since been making investments which has seen us return to competing at the pinnacle of domestic and European football, Josh Kroenke is unsure if KSE will ever get credit from the fanbase.

“I don’t know,” the Gunners’ non-executive director said during the club’s pre-season tour of America.

“I’d hate to say I don’t really care because it is a really big group of people. My dad has given us the ability to invest back into the club in a way that maybe wasn’t done previously but he does that because he trusts the group of people that we have.

“We’re in this business because we’re competitive. It is a lot to process at times, but the only reason we’re here is because we’ve got a great group and we want to try to keep it together for as long as we can.”

I’m sure, that if Arteta guides us to ending our Premier League drought, fans will begin to forgive some of Kroenke’s mishaps.