Kieran Maguire: Stan Kroenke has pulled ‘historic’ Arsenal U-turn amid behind-the-scenes latest
Tim Lewis’s increasing influence at Arsenal is a sign that Stan Kroenke intends to move further away from his “historic” laissez-faire approach.
That is the view of finance guru Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the latest changes in the Emirates boardroom.
Lewis joined the Gunners as a non-executive director in 2020 and has since juggled his responsibilities with his work as a partner at law firm Clifford Chance.
He was charged with restructuring the North Londoners’ debt bill amid other financial duties.
The Athletic reported on Monday (3 October) that Lewis, a close ally of Kroenke, recently stepped down at Clifford Chance to focus squarely on his role with Arsenal.
It is understood that Kroenke himself now has more input in day-to-day operations than in previous eras.
Maguire claims that Lewis’ enhanced influence behind the scenes at Arsenal could indicate that the KSE chief is looking to take even more of a hands-on approach.
“I think the appointment means that Stan Kroenke has more eyes and ears from an operational perspective,” he told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“That might indicate that he is going to take a slightly more active role, although historically his role has always been to be an owner rather than an influencer.
“Taking the debt in-house is going to lead to a reduction in interest charges, which increases the budget from an operational point of view.
“That budget can then go into recruitment and retention of talent, I’m sure Arsenal fans will welcome that.”
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