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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Simon Collings

Arsenal: Emirates Stadium renovations being discussed, confirms Josh Kroenke

Arsenal co-chair Josh Kroenke has revealed the club have had “internal conversations” about renovating Emirates Stadium.

The ground has been Arsenal’s home since 2006, when they left nearby Highbury Stadium, and it has had some work done to it over the years.

Most recently, the roof was repaired and the giant screens inside the ground for supporters were replaced.

The possibility of further upgrades has been mooted, even expanding the Emirates beyond its 60,000-seater capacity due to the huge demand for tickets, and Kroenke has admitted discussions have taken place.

[object Object] (REUTERS)

“It would be premature to talk about any plans in depth, but the internal conversations are starting to occur about [the stadium],” he told ESPN. “It is not an easy renovation, but we see the possibilities of what’s there.

“Our goal was always to compete for the Premier League title because if you look around the world, if you are competing for the title year-in, year-out, you are competing for everything else.

“What can our fans expect? Everything they’ve gotten in the last few years. We’re going to keep adding to the group.

“I know Mikel’s energy is through the roof in the best of ways. In our women’s team as well, you see how women’s sport is taking off around the world. We are really excited about that part of the business.

As a club our main goal is to continue to make our supporters proud

Jose Kroenke

“But as a club our main goal is to continue to make our supporters proud.”

The Kroenke family first bought a minority stake in Arsenal back in 2007, before assuming full control of the club 11 years later.

They have come in for criticism during that time, most notably around 2021 when Arsenal were one of several clubs who failed in an attempt to launch a European Super League.

Fans protested against the Kroenke family and Swedish billionaire Daniel Ek, the owner of streaming giant Spotify, was ready to launch a takeover bid.

But asked if there was ever a temptation to sell Arsenal back then, Kroenke said: “No, there was never really…offers this, offers that.

“My dad, our family are long-term investors, long-term holders. For me personally, I have been involved with the club for over 10 years now, around the board, and I really enjoy it and I love the club.

“I knew it would be very rewarding to get it back in a position to succeed and prove a few people wrong along the way.

“The real reward is when you enter the stadium, you feel the energy of what’s going on, that is the absolute payback of anything I could have ever imagined.”

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