Billionaire investor says he has 'big weak spot' for Arsenal

Arsenal are one of the biggest names in world football, and it appears their appeal even extends to owners of fellow Premier League clubs.

Some club owners are more outspoken that others – and it is clear to which end of the spectrum Stan Kroenke, dubbed ‘Silent Stan’ by Arsenal fans, belongs.

Kroenke has delegated many of his day-to-day duties at the Emirates to son, Josh Kroenke, who was named the club’s co-chair in March last year.

Contrary to popular belief, the Premier League is actually a limited company with 20 shareholders, the 20 individual Premier League clubs.

Each year, three new shareholders – the three clubs promoted from the Championship – are appointed, while the three relegated clubs have their shares revoked.

Club owners or there representatives will meet up several times per season to discuss matters of league governance, most notably at the end-of-season AGM.

There, they will have the chance to liaise and perhaps even co-scheme with fellow owners.

And that might give one particular owner to formalise links he has with Arsenal, who he has admitted he has an allegiance for.

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Brett Johnson reveals affinity with Arsenal

After remarkable back-to-back promotions under Kieran McKenna, Ipswich Town will play in the Premier League for the first time in over two decades 2024-25.

They begin their campaign at home against Liverpool on Saturday, where they will be watched by Brett Johnson and other members of the Gamechanger ownership group.

When the fixture list was released earlier this summer, Johnson’s eye will have been drawn to Boxing Day, when Ipswich take on Arsenal at the Emirates.

Johnson, an American private equity investor with stakes in USL sides Phoenix Rising and Rhode Island, recently revealed he attended Arsenal matches in his youth and recently met with former Gunners vice-chair David Dein.

“The gateway for me was Arsenal,” he told the Business of Sport podcast.

“A very close friend brought me to Highbury when I was 18 years old.

“I’ve still got a weak spot for Arsenal after going to see them first hand.

“On a related note, I had the chance to go and meet David Dein not so long ago.

“It was just fascinating hearing the stories from him. I highly recommend his book.

“Listening to him and hearing how the modern Premier League was founded…. There are parallels with what you have with the USL.

“You have to work together as an ownership group. David Dean and a host of others recognised that changes had to take place in English football.

“We all owe a debt to them because that started to percolate across the rest of the world in terms of the modernisation of the game and the growth of these assets.”

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How do Arsenal’s finances compare with Ipswich Town’s?

The step up from the Championship to the Premier League is the biggest financial jump in football.

But Ipswich’s finances are still dwarfed by Arsenal, who generated £467m in revenue over the last financial year.

For context, a newly promoted club of Ipswich’s stature can expect to earn maybe a third of that figure.