Arsenal Hill-Wood now favor Kroenke

English Arsenal has been seeing Stan Kroenke as the better option if the club must cave in to foreign interests.

The U.S. businessman is seen as a fundamentally better option than Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov. This despite club chairman Peter Hill-Wood's rebuffing of Kroenke last year with the comment that he was not the sort of man who would be welcomed at Arsenal.

Kroenke bought 12 percent of the club, but the board members initiated a one-year lockdown to keep him from gaining a stronger foothold. But Usmanov entered the picture, and has racked up 25 percent and a voting block.

Former vice-chairman David Dein was forced out after consulting with Kroenke. He now has backed Usmanov's bid.

Since then, Kroenke has been invited into the lockdown, and has been consulted on various matters. Hill-Wood has no problem reversing his stance on Kroenke.

"Contrary to what I said before," Hill-Wood said, "I now believe he may well have a vital contribution to make to the future of this football club. I am not denying I said what I said, but I made those observations before meeting Stan. I have now got to know him and I have changed my opinions.

"When I hadn't met him, yes, I didn't think he was the right person to take control of Arsenal Football Club. Now I know him as a man who is very much steeped in sport. He is a sports man."

Kroenke has been able to show the other board members his positions on issues, and he has shown a sharp acumen for the club's broadband rights. With managing director Keith Edelman surprisingly leaving, Kroenke now might have the most business savvy of anyone on the board.

The one way to fend off Usmanov might be if the other board members begin to sell to Kroenke. That would give Kroenke a share of the club that would cause Usmanov to back down.

Source: euFootball.BIZ © Copyright 2006 - All rights reserved.