The Official 2018/2019 Football/Soccer Thread
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Big_Ev
Mr. Brick City
Reading that Usmanov is trying to come up to Everton now.
Northside7
OG
Northside7
OG
Why are you guys taking so long to buy welbeck?
Blue_London
OG
You're like Kellyanne Conway.
I don't know what you do for work. But if you're not a spin doctor you're wasting your talents.
Young_Chitlin
Carajo 🇵🇪🧩
Libero.pe sources are reporting Arsenal and Manchester United are interested in Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembélé
If this is true, I could see a swap deal between Pogba and Dembele, although Rio certainly don't want Pogba to go!
On another note, I didn't expect Martial to have so many black mandem lol
toheeb27
OG
@Blue_London loving these Kovacic rumors. Wish it wasn’t just a loan though.
Blue_London
OG
I hate the transfer window are we to believe everyone has a realiable source?
Big_Ev
Mr. Brick City
Don’t want him
Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov says he will accept rival Stan Kroenke's bid to buy him out for £550m and take full control of the club.
American billionaire Kroenke owns 67% of Arsenal through his company KSE and announced on Tuesday he had made an offer to buy up the rest of the shares.
Usmanov has confirmed he has agreed to part with his 30% stake in the club.
"I have decided to sell my shares in Arsenal, which could be the best football club in the world," he said.
Despite his shareholding, Usmanov is not part of the board or the decision-making at Arsenal.
The metal magnate made a £1bn bid to buy the Emirates outfit in May 2017 but this was rejected by Kroenke.
Kroenke's offer to shareholders values the Gunners at £1.8bn. Acquiring Usmanov's shares for £550m means remaining shareholders would be obligated to sell theirs to Kroenke.
The KSE statement to the London Stock Exchange said taking the club private will help to further Arsenal's "strategy and ambitions".
"KSE's ambitions for the club are to see it competing consistently to win the Premier League and the Champions League, as well as the major trophies in the women's senior game and at youth level," it added.
Arsenal have a new manager in charge this season after Unai Emery took over from Arsene Wenger, who had been Gunners boss for 22 years.
In Wenger's final season, Arsenal finished sixth in the Premier League as they missed out on the Champions League but qualified for the group stages of the Europa League.
The Gunners start their Premier League campaign against champions Manchester City on Sunday.
'A dreadful day for Arsenal' - fans' reaction
While Kroenke says taking sole ownership will benefit the club, the Arsenal Supporters' Trust (AST) called the news "a dreadful day" for the Gunners.
"Stan Kroenke taking the club private will see the end of supporters owning shares in Arsenal and their role upholding custodianship values," said an AST statement.
AST added that by becoming the 100% owner, Kroenke would be able to take "detrimental actions" such as paying "management fees and dividends without any check or balance".
It added: "The AST is also extremely concerned to note that this purchase is being funded by a loan.
"The AST is wholly against this takeover which marks a very sad day for Arsenal football club."
Analysis - what does single ownership mean?
Rob Wilson, football finance expert at Sheffield Hallam University
There are two sides to this and from a fan's point of view you like to have a bit more transparency - when there is more than one person involved you get a broader discussion about what you should do, who you should buy and how much to spend on particular people.
When you have this single ownership, particularly when it will be set up in the United States, it lacks a bit of transparency.
There will be big dividends getting paid out from the football club as a profit maximising entity, but for Arsenal that's not really any different to what they have had for the past 10 or 15 years with Usmanov and back when Farhad Moshiri (former shareholder and Everton co-owner) was involved.
The only thing that concerns me is it's going to be a leverage buy-out, so he's going to have to borrow to be able to do it. Depending on which side of the fence you're on will determine whether you see that as a positive or a negative thing.
From a purely business point of view, it's not a bad model. It's like you or I buying a house, taking out a mortgage, if you maintain those payments against those loans or however you borrowed then it is not a problem.
While the leverage is there that would have to be paid back, I don't think it will limit the activity Arsenal will be able to undertake in the transfer market as the reality is in order to make that business profitable, you have to be finishing in the top four and going into European competition.
What are the details of the offer?
Kroenke will be raising the capital to take control of the club with £45m of his own money and borrowing £557m, which he says will not be against the club.
"The offer is not being funded by way of any debt finance (bank loans, payment in kind loans or other debt or quasi debt interest bearing obligations) for which the payment of interest on, repayment of, or security for any liability (contingent or otherwise) will depend on the business of Arsenal," said KSE's statement.
In the offer document, each of Arsenal's 62,217 shares are valued at at £29,419.64.
KSE currently has 41,743 of those, with Usmanov holding a stake of 18,695, which would be worth £550m under the offer.
Acquiring Usmanov's shares would move KSE past the 90% threshold whereby they could compulsorily be able to purchase the remaining 1,779 shares, which are valued at £52.3m.
Apart from Arsenal, Kroenke's "family portfolio" of assets also include NFL side Los Angeles Rams, the NBA's Denver Nuggets, the NHL outfit Colorado Avalanche, MLS side Colorado Rapids and Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45102559
Lol best football club in the world
Englishdude
OG
At least our keepers turn up to training.
Blue_London
OG
Lol it's Chelsea Vs united Vs arsenal In here basically we all have had a suspect transfer window
Same. I try not to pay attention to it anymore UNTIL something is done and finalized. Otherwise I just ignore all the clickbait articles and twitter bs news.
But he does have money...legit money...his and his wife's family so he will ALWAYS be solid....unlike the Glazers when they bought United.
Of course it makes sense that these billys ain't trying to spend their money on these clubs they buy. Gotta be OPP
Nah bro I think it was a TERRIBLE move. I will laugh if Thibaut moves to Madrid and Chelsea are stuck looking for another keeper and can't do crap until winter ...because they were one of the few top PL clubs to vote for the early transfer deadline closure. City and United (despite the idiotic protests of Mourinho) voted against it....because they know as big clubs, they have top players who other Euro teams might sneakily try to get later in August and you have to be able to bring someone else in on your list...if you have to sell.
PLUS
The early start to the season is just weird. Starting before La Liga, Bundesliga and well Serie A always starts last anyway. I get that the PL usually starts sometimes on the 2nd weekend in August and sometimes on the 3rd weekend, it varies. Just doesn't make sense in a World Cup year to start this early...thus leading to players that went far in the WC still on vacation or just returning to training as the season prepares to kickoff. Would have made more sense to start in 2nd week of August....next season which will be the first for the pseudo winter break.
Young_Chitlin
Carajo 🇵🇪🧩
the early window simply benefits the rest of Europe i.e. non-Premier League.
Think about it, other Euro clubs can either:
1. try to buy players at Premier clubs and either succeed in getting their man with the Premier club leaving them with no option to buy, or at least fuck up their man for a bit by having him unsettled
2. do "real life" business i.e. non of these fantasy transfer fees generated primarily by the Premier League teams. With them out the way, most can get good value for their money as they know there won't be an English club to outbid them with an extra $30m on top!
3. the exception to Premier league clubs doing fantasy transfer fees is PSG, which makes them the biggest bully in the transfer market once Premier leagues are locked out of the market early. Only FFP can stop them...
Early window is only cool if everyone has an early window e.g. this time next week Chelsea can't buy a keeper but Courtois can play hide n seek in the hopes Madrid come through and get the deal done lol
Think about it, other Euro clubs can either:
1. try to buy players at Premier clubs and either succeed in getting their man with the Premier club leaving them with no option to buy, or at least fuck up their man for a bit by having him unsettled
2. do "real life" business i.e. non of these fantasy transfer fees generated primarily by the Premier League teams. With them out the way, most can get good value for their money as they know there won't be an English club to outbid them with an extra $30m on top!
3. the exception to Premier league clubs doing fantasy transfer fees is PSG, which makes them the biggest bully in the transfer market once Premier leagues are locked out of the market early. Only FFP can stop them...
Early window is only cool if everyone has an early window e.g. this time next week Chelsea can't buy a keeper but Courtois can play hide n seek in the hopes Madrid come through and get the deal done lol
Young_Chitlin
Carajo 🇵🇪🧩
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