Arsenal news: Finance expert issues ‘phenomenal’ verdict after Stan Kroenke’s ‘£5bn’ triumph
The “phenomenal” earning power of the Los Angeles Rams means they will always be Stan Kroenke’s priority ahead of Arsenal.
So says finance expert Doctor Dan Plumley, speaking exclusively to Football Insider after the Rams’ Super Bowl triumph on Sunday (13 February).
Kroenke was the first to lift the trophy after the 23-20 over the Cincinnati Bengals at the SoFi Stadium in LA, which opened just 17 months ago.
The stadium’s construction was ordered by Kroenke at a cost of £3.7billion and he has invested around £5bn in the NFL outfit in total.
But the 74-year-old sports mogul has not been seen at the Emirates since 2018 and prefers to let his son, Josh Kroenke, take the wheel at Arsenal.
Per the Evening Standard today (16 February), Kroenke junior emphasised his will to bring a “North American” sporting model to North London.
But Plumley explains that the Gunners will always play second fiddle to the Rams as far as KSE are concerned.
“You have to go back to the models of the sports, which are very different,” the Sheffield Hallam University expert told Football Insider‘s Adam Williams.
“The growth in the Rams has been phenomenal. They are 13th in Forbes’ list of most valuable clubs. They have doubled in value over the last five years.
“They are worth $4bn, and he paid $750bn. So their growth is staggering. Most of that can be attributed to the building of the stadium.
“But the stadium is paid for mainly by the taxpayer in the US. So as owner you upset millions of people but for you it’s a pretty sweet deal.
“He moved the Rams from St Louis to LA for that reason. St Louis didn’t have the fanbase to drive the franchise forward so he picked it up and moved it.
“You wouldn’t see that happen in football because the culture is different, so he can’t do things like that in football.
“The economic security in American sports is the difference. Arsenal are 38th on that Forbes list and are worth $2.75bn.
“He has put around £5billion into the Rams and billions more across both franchises. KSE have other franchises as well.
“Arsenal are a very attractive business venture but the valuation of American franchises will always be higher because of the way the sport is run.“
Arsenal posted a £54million loss in their last set of accounts.
They are due to release their next set of financial data in the first quarter of 2022.
In other news, Kevin Campbell suggests Armando Broja could force Arsenal move as he “fits into the model right now”.