Kroenke: New Liverpool owners are good guys
ARSENAL director Stan Kroenke has backed Liverpool’s latest owners, New England Sports Ventures (NESV), to run the club “the right way”.
Kroenke, the Gunners’ largest shareholder, knows fellow Americans NESV, owners of baseball’s Boston Red Sox, from their mutual dealings in sports franchises in the United States.
Previous Reds owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett became hate figures among the Anfield faithful during their three-year reign, but Kroenke is ready to vouch for their successors.
“I think they’re good guys,” Kroenke told City PM “I don’t know them well, I’ve met them and I think they’re good guys. They run the Red Sox the right way and I think they’ll try to do it over here too.”
Kroenke, whose portfolio also includes NFL American football outfit St Louis Rams, NBA basketball team Denver Nuggets and NHL ice hockey side Colorado Avalanche, made a rare visit to London for Arsenal’s AGM at the Emirates Stadium yesterday.
The billionaire also stated his belief that Arsenal can improve on last season and mount a concerted challenge for the Premier League title.
“It’s a nice team, I enjoy watching them play and we’re looking for great things from them,” he added. “I think they can improve on last season – I hope they can. Can they win the title? I always believe all our teams can win, I’ll tell you that, so I believe they can.”
Gunners manager Arsene Wenger, meanwhile, is confident captain Cesc Fabregas will delay a move to Barcelona for “a few more years”.