Kieran Maguire: Kroenke has woken up after two new Arsenal deals agreed
Stan Kroenke has Arsenal ‘heading in the right direction’ after putting more importance on improving commercial revenue.
That is the view of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who exclusively told Football Insider that the Gunners had been ‘asleep at the wheel’ in recent years.
Arsenal have made major changes to their commercial and marketing team this summer, hiring a new head of marketing and head of commercial ventures in recent weeks.
It has helped the North London side to grow their commercial revenue streams, with the club signing sponsorship deals with Unilever (Persil) and Google Pixel this month.
Arsenal posted commercial revenues of £141.7million in their latest 2021/22 accounts, but that figure is expected to grow significantly.
Maguire believes Kroenke seems to have changed his attitude to commercial deals at Arsenal since his son’s increased involvement with the club.
“I think Arsenal have been asleep at the wheel with regard to the monetization of their brand,” Maguire told Football Insider’s Sean Fisher.
“The likes of Manchester United and Liverpool have been gold-plated in terms of their approach, with commercial and marketing departments in more than one location.
“That has allowed them to access big brands and get deals over the line.
“After some fairly sleepy years, Stan Kroenke seems to have realised that they cannot afford to ignore a major income stream in the form of commercial revenue.
“I don’t know whether it’s the fact that his son is now more actively involved with the club or not.
“But Arsenal are now heading in the right direction.”
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