22 February 2023 , 08:26
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Arsenal icon Thierry Henry has revealed that he is now satisfied with the state of his former club after his involvement in a failed takeover bid.
The iconic striker was linked with an effort to buy the North London club’s owners the Kroenke’s out of the Emirates Stadium amid severe backlash from supporters following the attempted European Super League breakaway. He joined forces with Spotify founder Daniel Ek and Dennis Bergkamp in an effort to push through a deal with a bid of £1.8billion thought to have been lodged.
Speaking at the time, the Swedish businessman said: “As a kid growing up, I’ve cheered for Arsenal as long as I can remember. If KSE would like to sell Arsenal I’d be happy to throw my hat in the ring.”
His bid was very quickly rejected by the Kroenkes and any talk of a takeover has been cooled over the past few months. Now, Henry has offered an update and suggested that a takeover bid is no longer on the agenda with the Frenchman convinced that the club is now in a better state.
Speaking on the House of Champions Podcast, he said: "At the time (Ek) wanted to offer a solution to the fans, who were all saying 'sell, sell, sell' but sell to who. We offered a solution, it wasn't meant to be.
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“I'm an Arsenal fan, let's win. It doesn't matter. We were there to offer a solution, you want it, you don't want it, it doesn't matter.
Daniel Ek lodged a near £2billion bid for Arsenal (Getty Images)Has your opinion of the Kroenkes changed this season? Have your say in the comments below
"Now everything is OK, why would anyone want to disturb anything [by changing owners]? It's all I wanted. Whether it was me in or me out I wanted Arsenal to be successful. That's the main point."
Mikel Arteta ’s side have certainly reaped the benefits of added stability this season. The Gunners currently sit two points clear at the top of the Premier League following a sensational first-half of the campaign.
They now look certain to return to the Champions League next term and could potentially end their near two-decade wait for a domestic title should they fight off the challenge from rivals Manchester City. Elsewhere, a number of Premier League sides have gone through major overhaul over the past year with various takeovers.
Todd Boehly completed a mega-money deal to buy Chelsea from Roman Abramovich and despite a huge outlay on the transfer front, the Blues currently sit tenth in the Premier League under the American. Manchester United in the meantime remain up for sale with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani thought to be the front-runners to complete a deal.
Liverpool were also previously on the market but FSG chief John W. Henry has ruled out an outright sale and instead confirmed that he is only looking for further investment into the Merseyside club.