Dangote ready to relaunch bid for Arsenal FC

Africa’s richest man and Nigerian billionaire, Aliko Dangote, has confirmed his renewed interest in buying EPL club, Arsenal.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Dangote, who is a cement and commodities tycoon and is valued at around $15.7 billion, said he will make fresh attempts at buying the London club despite his rejected bid in 2010.

“I still hope, one day, at the right price, that I’ll buy the team. I might buy it, not at a ridiculous price but a price that the owners won’t want to resist. I know my strategy.

“We have $16 billion-worth of investments in the next few years. Right now I want to take my own business to a certain level. Once I finish on that trajectory, then maybe [I’ll bid again for Arsenal],” the 58-year-old told Bloomberg.

American billionaire, Stan Kroenke, is currently the controlling shareholder at Arsenal with a 67% stake in the club.

Red & White Sec Ltd., controlled by Uzbek billionaire, Alisher Usmanov and Farhad Moshiri, are the second biggest shareholders with 30% of the Gunners.

Dangote is an ardent supporter of Arsenal, and has criticised Coach Arsene Wenger’s approach in the past, saying the 65-year-old “needs to change his style a bit” and warning that the club “needs new direction”.

Already, the planned move by Dangote is eliciting reactions as former Nigerian International, Joseph Dosu, said he would have preferred to see Dangote make such huge invest in the Nigerian League, than going abroad.

“I don’t know why we like to run to other countries to better them and not do so in our fathers land .We have Enyimba, Pillars , Shooting Stars and the likes here, I feel charity should begin at home but having said that, it is Dangote’s money so he has the final say on where he chooses to spend it,” Dosu told PREMIUM TIMES.