Daniel Ek

[SK___]

if this flops I’ll be pissed

 

[Atlas]

This guy is not nearly rich enough to buy a club like Arsenal. He’s valued at about 4b where most of that is shares in a company that does not even make profits yet. He’s not gangster like Lord Usmanov he prob doesn’t have enough cash to buy Neymar let alone Arsenal FC. If he does takeover the club it will be a highly leveraged deal any money that comes in will be borrowed as well.

A 38 year old with no experience and not enough money taking over and running the club. Sounds somewhat familiar. What could possibly go wrong?

 

[TimoJens]

This guy is not nearly rich enough to buy a club like Arsenal. He’s valued at about 4b where most of that is shares in a company that does not even make profits yet. He’s not gangster like Lord Usmanov he prob doesn’t have enough cash to buy Neymar let alone Arsenal FC. If he does takeover the club it will be a highly leveraged deal any money that comes in will be borrowed as well.

A 38 year old with no experience and not enough money taking over and running the club. Sounds somewhat familiar. What could possibly go wrong?

Not even Kroenke was rich enough to buy Arsenal. He had to borrow money.

 

[Camron]

Imagine being a music artist right now getting short changed by Spotify, having to watch this ****er roleplay as the good guy with his childhood heroes

This reeks of a PR move to capitalize on the movement. Maybe I'm wrong, but it takes quite a bit to make me trust these rich ****s.

In any case, it's ownership transferring from one rich asshole to the next. It won't fix the actual problem, but it might make your situation a bit better.

Funny isn't it? Only if dodgy human rights violators with ties to modern day dictatorship take over your club you're gonna have a good time.

 

[Atlas]

Not even Kroenke was rich enough to buy Arsenal. He had to borrow money.

Look how that worked out.

 

[<<reed>>]

 

[RunTheTrap]

Yeah people need a dose of realism and on AM they call me Madrid cos I keep it real.

This is simultaneously one of the cringiest/alpha things I've seen on this forum.

 

[Penn_]

No billionaire has that amount just in an account waiting to be used. It’s spread across stocks and bonds etc which Ek would use to secure a bank loan.

 

[Atlas]

Funny isn't it? Only if dodgy human rights violators with ties to modern day dictatorship take over your club you're gonna have a good time.

You could do well enough with a professional unit like Fenway Sports Group taking over. They did a fantastic job turning things around at Liverpool without investing too much. Obviously nothing beats a Russian oligarch or Middle East sheikh.

 

[HairSprayGooners]

You could do well enough with a professional unit like Fenway Sports Group taking over. They did a fantastic job turning things around at Liverpool without investing too much. Obviously nothing beats a Russian oligarch or Middle East sheikh.

It's funny, Arsenal and Liverpool are essentially owned in the same way. The only difference is Liverpool spent very well and got Klopp. Arsenal stuck with Wenger whilst klopp was available, got Emery and spent on flops.

 

[dashsnow17]

This basically sums it up. This guy is as cold-blooded as it gets. Where's the precedent for fan anger driving out an owner? I can't think of one. Even if the Ek interest is real it doesn't mean Kroenke will sell. This thing has a less than 5% chance of happening.

 

[RunTheTrap]

Unpopular opinion: I would rather stick with the Kroenke's than go with this guy but let me caveat that statement, it has to be the Kroenke's with the RIGHT people. The worst sin the Kroenke's have committed have been putting their faith into the wrong people. They have been taken for a ride by charlatans and opportunists and they have no real knowledge of the European market or footballing culture. If in the summer the Kroenkes were to hire a Monchi or a Luis Campos to oversee the club on their behalf, would we see that as a move to the right direction?

However, they do have experience in running major sport enterprises unlike Ek. I am cautious as to why now Ek has seemingly decided to let his interest known to the public, especially when we're in the midst of a big European tie. This could feel like a big distraction on the players. And obviously, getting the Invincibles to join your 'benevolent' cause seems like a cheap pull on the heart strings to garner more fans and cause ire towards the Kroenkes. I mean come on the timing couldn't be any better and he first showed his interest by a tweet. Seems calculated to me; I'm not sold yet. If I had a couple billions spare I would try to buy Arsenal too but questions have to be asked such as "what are you going to do differently?"

 

[Atlas]

No billionaire has that amount just in an account waiting to be used. It’s spread across stocks and bonds etc which Ek would use to secure a bank loan.

Riddle me this then. How does someone worth 4 billion which consists mostly of shares in a company that doesn’t make profits and therefore cannot pay dividends, afford to pay a 2 bil loan taken over an asset that also doesn’t pay dividends? Where is he going to get the 200-400m a year it costs to service this loan? Is he really going to liquidate 5-10% of his position in a company he founded every year just for the pleasure of owning Arsenal FC?

With Kroenke you could easily imagine that the funds to service his loans came from his other profitable business interests. That’s what other billionaires do they use cheap debt to purchase assets which they service using the cash flows from their other profitable assets, resulting in a net increase in assets every year. The power of leveraging : cheap debt which allows you to buy more assets without selling your existing ones.

So the 2 billion dollar question, how does a man without a significant cash flow afford to pay a 2 billion dollar loan?

 

[dashsnow17]

 

[Wiltord's left boot]

Usmanov tried buying the club when we were in the UCL every year and the Super League was still in the pipeline. It was also before a global pandemic. KSE have more reason to sell now than then.

 

[Tir Na Nog]

Unpopular opinion: I would rather stick with the Kroenke's than go with this guy but let me caveat that statement, it has to be the Kroenke's with the RIGHT people. The worst sin the Kroenke's have committed have been putting their faith into the wrong people. They have been taken for a ride by charlatans and opportunists and they have no real knowledge of the European market or footballing culture. If in the summer the Kroenkes were to hire a Monchi or a Luis Campos to oversee the club on their behalf, would we see that as a move to the right direction?

However, they do have experience in running major sport enterprises unlike Ek. I am cautious as to why now Ek has seemingly decided to let his interest known to the public, especially when we're in the midst of a big European tie. This could feel like a big distraction on the players. And obviously, getting the Invincibles to join your 'benevolent' cause seems like a cheap pull on the heart strings to garner more fans and cause ire towards the Kroenkes. I mean come on the timing couldn't be any better and he first showed his interest by a tweet. Seems calculated to me; I'm not sold yet. If I had a couple billions spare I would try to buy Arsenal too but questions have to be asked such as "what are you going to do differently?"

Yeah I wouldn't be quick to paint Ek as the hero who'll save us. He's painted himself a good picture saying he's a 30 year Arsenal fan and getting backing from legends and doing it when there are protests against Kroenke. But we don't actually know what this guy is gonna do. People whinge about KSE investing but it's even more unlikely somewhat like this is gonna invest his own money into transfers and stuff. Also looking at how Spotify operates he doesn't seem like he's a guy who's gonna be very open to spending huge money on transfers and wages and stuff like that. I think the whole thing is convenient for him at the moment. We live in a black and white world were nuance doesn't exist, and all people know is Kroenke is Lex Luthor and Ek is superman. I don't think it's like that in reality tho. People are desperate for the alternative to KSE tho so it's natural that they're not even gonna think about anything negative toward Ek

 

[TimoJens]

A little reminder: Fenway Sports Group pissed on their good relationship with the Liverpool fans when they co-created The Super League because of shameless greed. They are not great people and doesnt really care about titles and glory.

 

[Penn_]

Riddle me this then. How does someone worth 4 billion which consists mostly of shares in a company that doesn’t make profits and therefore cannot pay dividends, afford to pay a 2 bil loan taken over an asset that also doesn’t pay dividends? Where is he going to get the 200-400m a year it costs to service this loan? Is he really going to liquidate 5-10% of his position in a company he founded every year just for the pleasure of owning Arsenal FC?

With Kroenke you could easily imagine that the funds to service his loans came from his other profitable business interests. That’s what other billionaires do they use cheap debt to purchase assets which they service using the cash flows from their other profitable assets, resulting in a net increase in assets every year. The power of leveraging : cheap debt which allows you to buy more assets without selling your existing ones.

So the 2 billion dollar question, how does a man without a significant cash flow afford to pay a 2 billion dollar loan?

I’m not his lawyer or financial planner. I have no idea on his other investments or real net worth.

Merely stating the fact that a billionaires cash flow is entirely different to your average persons, as it seems to be lost everywhere this is being discussed.

 

[Rasmi]

Usmanov tried buying the club when we were in the UCL every year and the Super League was still in the pipeline. It was also before a global pandemic. KSE have more reason to sell now than then.

They are not losing money or struggling. Nothing indicates they want to sell. Also as a Swede I really wouldn’t want a swede in charge. Swedish people are tight with money by nature

 

[dashsnow17]

Usmanov tried buying the club when we were in the UCL every year and the Super League was still in the pipeline. It was also before a global pandemic. KSE have more reason to sell now than then.

Arsenal is a long-term investment for them. CL and the super league debacle is short-term stuff. They'll try to invest to get us back into the CL, and the super league is just on hold for now, there'll be some sort of change in football soon enough. You don't stay at Arsenal for over a decade just to leave cos of one setback.