Josh Kroenke makes Arsenal feelings clear and reiterates father's stance on selling club
Arsenal co-chair Josh Kroenke has discussed he and his father's long-term plans for the club on the eve of Wednesday night's huge Champions League quarter final tie with Bayern Munich
Josh Kroenke says his family are committed to Arsenal for the long haul after re-establishing the club as Premier League title contenders.
Kroenke, 43, and his father, Stan, previously endured a turbulent relationship with Arsenal fans and protests were even staged against the Americans, who also own the Los Angeles Rams and the Denver Nuggets, following the fallout of the ill-conceived attempt to break away and join the European Super League back in 2021.
Relations have since improved, though, and they have managed to oversee an upturn in the club's fortunes since appointing Mikel Arteta, who has Arsenal competing for the title for the second consecutive year.
In a rare interview, conducted with Curious Mike on YouTube, Kroenke Junior touched on plans for the future and reaffirmed that both he and his father are fully committed to the club.
READ MORE: Watch the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund with TNT SportsREAD MORE: Arsene Wenger tells Mikel Arteta where Arsenal went wrong in turning point in title raceThe Arsenal co-chair said: “We were a real estate family that fell into sports due to our love of it. It’s morphed into what we have now – Los Angeles Rams, Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Mammoth, Colorado Rapids. The really big one is over in London. We have Arsenal Football Club.
“We’ve been pretty committed. We’re long-term holders in everything we do. My father’s philosophy, and it’s the same with me as well, whenever you invest in something, if you’re trying to short buck… that’s not our strategy. We want to invest in something that makes sense for us over the long term.”
After a rocky start, Arteta has managed to rebuild Arsenal to the point where they are once again able to challenge for major honours, including the Champions League. The Gunners have the opportunity to progress to the semi-finals of the competition for the first time since 2009 when they face Bayern Munich in Germany on Wednesday night.
Join the debate! What have you made of the Kroenke's time at Arsenal? Let us know here.
The tie is poised finely following an enthralling 2-2 draw at the Emirates last week and Arteta is expecting to see a reaction from his players after they lost ground in the title race with a loss against Aston Villa on Sunday.
Speaking ahead of the season-defining match, Arteta said: “We have to change it. There’s a lot of things we can do there to write that story differently [against Bayern]. It’s about earning the right collectively and individually.
“We want a performance that puts us in the Champions League semi-final. The prep has been to achieve that. We have earned it for 10 months and everything we did last season. We have an unbelievable opportunity to make it happen.
TNT Sports gives you access to games across the Premier League, Champions League, Europa League, Serie A and many more. You can also watch the biggest clashes in boxing, UFC and the get exclusive action from MLB all for one payment every month. You can watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.
“Most of our players haven’t experienced a night like this. They’re super motivated. They’re prepared and they feel confident. We want to make it happen. It would be unbelievable. If we make it happen and we’re in the semi-final, we’ll be in a really high emotional state with something that we haven’t achieved in 15 years and that’s the opportunity.”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.