Fiszman - Gunners don't need billionaire
Arsenal director Danny Fiszman insists the club do not need a billionaire benefactor to compete with the rest of the Barclays Premiership’s ’big four’.
Speculation continues to grow that American tycoon Stan Kroenke is readying himself for a hostile takeover at the Emirates Stadium after recently upping his stake in the Gunners’ parent holding company to 12.19%.
However, diamond dealer Fiszman, Arsenal’s biggest shareholder with 24.11% of the club, believes the current board have proven they possess the financial management skills to help manager Arsene Wenger challenge mega-rich Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool for major honours.
He told Sky Sports: “I’ve been on the board 15 years now. Since then, we’ve had tremendous success on the pitch and we’ve built a fabulous team, a young team.
“We’ve built the stadium. It’s not a bad stadium is it? And also a state-of-the-art training ground.
“All that has been done with our own resources. We’ve done everything in a sensible and financially-conservative way. Other than Chelsea, we’ve seen no evidence of big amounts being put into a club.
“The board is there to ensure that the future of Arsenal improves and that we continue the success that we’ve had in the past. We will do everything we can in order to ensure that.”
Fiszman cannot see how selling to Kroenke would achieve that aim.
“We are open to anything that will improve the club but we’re going to have to be seriously convinced that it would improve the fortunes of the club,” Fiszman told Sky Sports.
