Stan Kroenke gets £2.3bn boost as plan for bright Arsenal future becomes clear

Kroenke Sports & Entertainment has seen a huge surge in the value of the sports teams that it owns

Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, the parent company that owns Arsenal, has seen a £2.3bn increase in its value compared to the previous year.

Arsenal principal owner Stan Kroenke’s KSE firm has seen significant growth over the past 12 months, with the annual Forbes report into sporting empire values placing KSE second on the list at $15.59bn (£12.3bn), a 22% bump on last year’s figures of $12.75bn (£10bn).

That valuation of the KSE empire puts them ahead of Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group, with the John W. Henry-led firm having seen a 25% increase year-on-year to leapfrog Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones into third place. Formula One and Atlanta Braves owners, Liberty Media, occupy the top spot with an $18.2bn (£14.3bn) valuation.

The significant rise for Kroenke’s firm can be attributed to continually increasing valuations of the sports teams and assets that form his KSE investment portfolio.

Alongside Arsenal, KSE holds majority stakes in the Los Angeles Rams NFL team, the Denver Nuggets NBA franchise, the Colorado Avalanche (NHL), the Colorado Rapids (MLS), the Colorado Mammoth lacrosse team, and the Altitude Sports & Entertainment regional sports network that covers Colorado’s major sports teams.

Sports team valuations have enjoyed double-digit compound annual growth rates for some time now, but at present the incline has seen valuations take off, meaning that for those who already held interests in these teams before valuations started to soar, they have paid off handsomely.

In the case of Arsenal, on the 2023 Forbes list of the most valuable Premier League teams, the Gunners held a valuation of $2.26bn (£1.8bn). That figure saw them place 10th on the overall list for global football teams, and while the 2024 Forbes list has not yet been published, it is expected that the valuation will be pushing beyond the £2bn mark, potentially towards the £2.3bn point.

Arsenal’s valuation growth will be attributed to stronger revenue streams thanks to improved sporting performance, with matchday revenue tipped to break the £100m mark when the club accounts are published in the next couple of months.

Then there is revenue, with the recently published Deloitte Money League showing that the Gunners’ revenue has risen 23% from 2022 to 2023, jumping from £367.1m to £463.1m. Commercial revenues are set to jump from £142.3m to £166.2m.

While domestic broadcast rights growth may be slowing, showing signs of potential decline, the trajectory of overseas rights for the next few cycles is expected to continue, and that is significantly impactful for Premier League clubs, particularly those who form part of the ‘Big Six’. It is media rights that are a key driver for valuations.

In the US, valuations of teams in the NBA and NFL are expected to get to a peak soon. For KSE and its ownership of the Nuggets, in December, US sports business website Sportico’s analysis saw the team valued at $3.4bn (£2.7bn), a figure 60% higher than what it had been pegged at the end of 2022. That was the highest valuation increase of any of the top 15 most valuable NBA franchises.

In the case of the MLS, while the Rapids are a small market team and one of the smallest in terms of valuations, they, too, have seen a 15% rise year-on-year to achieve a $460m valuation.

KSE is a company that has seen huge growth in the sporting assets that it owns, and that is likely to continue for some time yet, although, for some of the teams, the rate of growth may start to slow down.

The view among many North American ownership groups is that the Premier League remains under-monetised in terms of value creation. Arsenal is seen as having plenty of room for growth, which means that it will be a key part of KSE’s plans moving forward, and points to it being highly unlikely that a Kroenke divestment would occur any time soon.

How that translates into more money being made available to put towards what happens on the pitch will be more closely linked to how the Premier League moves forward concerning changing its current profit and sustainability regulations and moving towards a UEFA squad cost ratio method.

Football clubs aren’t profitable, in the main. As long as the value increases annually, though, they remain a sound investment for those who hold them, and they have tremendous scarcity value.

Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard may get dream transfer wish as Gunners look to capitalise

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard might get a dream reunion with former team-mate Alexander Isak if Newcastle sell their star striker. Odegaard and Isak struck up an excellent partnership at Real Sociedad before their moves to the Premier League, and the Gunners captain should be convincing the club’s hierarchy to sign his ex-colleague.

Newcastle have admitted that they might need to sell one of their best players to comply with Financial Fair Play and the Premier League’s profit and sustainability regulations.

The club recently recorded losses of £155m over a three-season period, above the permitted maximum of £105m, although it’s understood spending on the academy, women’s team and charity foundation is exempt and leaves the Tyneside outfit on the right side of the rules.

CEO Darren Eales has revealed that Newcastle will only be able to improve their squad if they sell a valuable asset. Prolific striker Isak is one of them, alongside midfielder Bruno Guimaraes and defender Sven Botman.

Alexander Isak

Newcastle star Alexander Isak would improve Arsenal’s poor scoring record 

Arsenal’s desperation for a new centre-forward has become apparent in recent months. Premier League title rivals Manchester City and Liverpool both have several stars capable of scoring enough goals to finish at the summit of the top-flight.

Mikel Arteta lacks that figure in his own squad. Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah have struggled for consistency, scoring a combined eight Premier League goals this term. City and Liverpool both have three players who have scored more than that tally alone.

Isak would likely change that, having proved his ability as a top Premier League forward. Since his move from Sociedad in the summer of 2022, the Swede has scored almost a goal every other game for Newcastle.

His 24 strikes in 50 appearances include 16 this term. That is despite injuries and competition from Callum Wilson preventing him from being ever-present in Howe’s side. Having played 3,288 minutes in his Newcastle career, Isak has effectively only played the equivalent of 38 full matches

Barcelona inform €60 million winger he is the ‘chosen one’ for the summer

By this time, it has been well-established that Barcelona are in the market for a new winger and have several players on their radars, ranging from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to Luis Diaz.

But the name that appears to be at the top of the wishlist is Athletic Club and Spain winger Nico Williams.

The chosen on

Indeed, as per SPORT, Barcelona have already informed Williams’ entourage that he is the ‘chosen one’ as far as the club are concerned heading into the summer.

Indeed, the Spanish international is considered the absolute priority to reinforce the attacking unit before next season.

The report further states that Williams himself already knows this because the Blaugrana sporting management, led by director Deco, has already told him of their intentions.

Williams is the chosen one and the Catalans are going to do everything in their power to bring him to the club.

Release clause and payment formula

Williams signed a new contract with Athletic Club last year which came with a release clause worth €60 million, although some other sources suggest that it is €50 million.

In any case, Barcelona’s intention is to offer a higher amount than his exit clause to Athletic Club in exchange for payment in several instalments.

Athletic Club, very little given to negotiating the departure of their players, will have to decide whether to accept this formula in order to bring in more money.

If they do not, Barça are willing to pay the full amount of Nico Williams’ release, which could lead to the deal slowing down owing to the Catalans’ finances.

Hansi Flick will personally ‘do everything’ to bring Bayern Munich star to Barcelona

Barcelona have clear intentions heading into the summer transfer market as they plan to make some crucial changes to their squad in an attempt to compete at the highest level in Europe.

Real Madrid have recently officially completed the signing of Kylian Mbappe on a free transfer after his tenure at PSG, and Barcelona will hope to go head-to-head against them while being severely financially handicapped.

One of the things they will be relying on this summer is hoping that there are world-class players who want to play for Barcelona, and prefer the prestige over the money.

As such, they have curated a list of the positions they want to reinforce with a fair few players on their agenda to match it.

One of the areas of concern is, of course, the holding midfield position, and the Catalans’ pick for it is Joshua Kimmich, who will not be easy to sign.

Flick to lead pursuit

According to a report published by SPORT, Hansi Flick is a huge fan of Kimmich, and has informed the club he wants the club to pursue the German’s signature in the summer.

Barcelona have started negotiations with Bayern for Kimmich – he is their priority target for the position.

They have already presented their initial offer for the player, who is on wages of €19.5 million gross right now. He is not happy with satisfied with Barça’s proposal.

However, this is where Flick can be very important for Barcelona. He coached Kimmich at Bayern and Germany, and has a good relationship with him.

The coach will try to do everything in his power to join Barça’s project. He wants to be directly involved in this transfer pursuit.

Kimmich has only rejected the first offer from Barcelona, but is still open to talking to the club about a summer move, especially since he represents himself in negotiations.

Barcelona ready to table new offer

Barcelona are not ready to back down after Kimmich’s initial rejection, and ready to table another offer for his services.

The player will have to do his part and push the transfer, as well, especially since Bayern Munich will likely ask for a fat check in exchange for his services.

Kimmich’s contract ends in the summer of 2025, which means he should be available at a slashed price this off-season. Bayern are infamously tough negotiators, though, which means this saga could last the entire summer, at least.

REAL MADRID 1ST, BARCELONA 2ND: CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GOAL OF THE SEASON ANNOUNCED

The top-10 goals of this past season’s edition of the Champions League have on Monday been announced by UEFA.

Barcelona’s ‘Extraordinary’ Player Makes Promise For Next Season

Barcelona are set to embark on a new era after confirming the appointment of ex-Germany manager Hans-Dieter Flick as their new head coach. As he looks to transform them into genuine La Liga title challengers, young winger Ansu Fati has sent a defiant message after returning to the club.

Ansu Fati Makes Plans Clear For Barcelona Future

Is Fati Looking To Leave Barcelona?

The 21-year-old winger spent the 2023/24 season on loan at Brighton & Hove Albion, but couldn’t really break into their first XI. With many fans wondering what lies in the youngster’s future after the disappointing loan spell, he has made his intentions clear on staying with his childhood club and succeeding next term. In an interview with Mundo Deportivo, Fati said: “My plan is clear, I want to succeed at Barcelona. I’m 100%, I spend many hours in the gym, there are people who believe that I can only be injured, but it’s not like that.

“I’m 21 years old, but I have experienced a lot. I felt that everything I did was not valued and that’s why I decided to leave on loan, that’s what I had to do.  I have been at Barça for many years, I’m an academy player. For me playing for Barça is my greatest enthusiasm. Every time I get the chance, I try to do my best. I met and greeted Flick when he came to visit Brighton, he arrives at the best club in the world and I’m sure he will do very well.”

Ansu Fati Set For Major Competition At Barcelona

Fati has produced some fighting words ahead of the start of the 2024/25 campaign, but he faces an uphill task of making himself an undroppable player in Flick’s squad. Firstly, the 21-year-old needs to prove his fitness and avoid injuries after having missed 13 matches for Brighton in his loan spell. He also needs to be much more prolific than he was in the Premier League, having only scored four goals in 30 appearances for the Seagulls.

The 21-year-old winger, who was hailed as “extraordinary” by ex-Barcelona boss Xavi, has shown glimpses of extreme quality during his short career. But Fati needs to be more decisive and ruthless in terms of scoring and assisting goals regularly to survive at the La Liga club.

He’ll also need to outperform players like Raphinha and Ferran Torres, alongside any other signings that Barcelona make in the summer transfer window. The attacker is now moving into the peak years of his career, and will look to start unleashing his ultimate potential by bringing something special to Flick’s squad next season.

Atletico Madrid agree to extend Joao Felix’s loan stint at Barcelona

According to a report from SPORT, Atletico Madrid have agreed to Barcelona’s request for another loan deal involving Joao Felix.

The report highlights that Barcelona’s management highly appreciates Felix’s desire to continue playing for their team.

On the other hand, Atletico Madrid also see this positively because Felix has turned down offers from Saudi Arabia and Benfica to remain with Barcelona.

Now, it is said that Felix has communicated to Atletico Madrid that he only wants to play for Barcelona and everyone involved in this decision believes that repeating the arrangement used in the current season is the best choice.

Barcelona want to test Felix under Flick

At Barcelona, even with a change in management, the main concern is that Xavi has not been able to bring out the best in Felix.

However, with Hansi Flick now in charge, there is a renewed sense of optimism. The team believes that the German coach can help Felix reach his full potential once again.

The decision to extend the loan deal is seen as mutually beneficial for both clubs and the player.

On the other hand, Felix’s insistence on playing for Barcelona stems from his belief, and the belief of those around him, that staying with the club is the best option for his career at this point.

Atletico Madrid hold the key

Faced with such resolve, Atletico Madrid have little choice but to accommodate his wishes and mitigate any potential fallout.

Hence, they have agreed to a new loan deal, with all parties on board. There won’t be an option for Barcelona to buy him outright, with the terms contingent upon reaching financial agreements, subject to salary constraints.

Although formalising the loan may take some time, it is a certainty that it will come to fruition eventually.

Right now, it is said that Felix is not in a rush and is prepared to bide his time until the conditions are favourable for his continued stint with Barcelona, even if it means training separately during the preseason at Atletico Madrid.

All parties, including Diego Simeone, are committed to this arrangement, and willing to allow Felix to train individually until the loan deal is finalised.

Barcelona management and Flick in agreement over the continuity of 24-year-old forward

Amidst all the uncertainty swirling around whether Joao Felix will remain with Barcelona, a recent report from SPORT has confirmed something quite decisive: the Portuguese forward is dead set on staying with Barça.

Curiously, this is precisely what he has communicated to Atletico Madrid as well.

Currently, both the sports management at Barcelona and Hansi Flick are in accord that it is best for Felix to stay, and they are now gearing up to negotiate his stay for another season.

Flick wants Felix to continue

Flick is now tasked with the responsibility of extracting the utmost potential from the footballer because, within the team, there is a growing sense of belief that Xavi failed to get the best out of the player.

Now, they are hopeful that Flick can rectify this situation. While there is still much ground to cover, should Felix embark on another campaign with the Blaugrana, he will do so with the reassurance that the coach is firmly behind him.

There is a unanimous consensus between the German coach and the sports management in this regard and with the club and coach on the same page, half of the journey seems to be paved in their favour. But they are not alone in this stance.

Felix has rejected big-money offers

Now that Felix himself is keen on staying at Barcelona, it leaves only Atletico Madrid as the differential.

It is said that all parties involved believe that repeating the current arrangement for the upcoming season is the optimal choice.

Moreover, Barcelona highly esteem Felix’s eagerness to remain with the club. Despite receiving a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia, the 24-year-old forward has firmly declined to leave the football elite.

He has not even entertained the idea of being loaned to Benfica, a proposal from Atletico, indicating his desire to don the Blaugrana colours.

Hansi Flick gives green light to bring back Joao Felix next season

Portuguese star Joao Felix saw his stock fall again last year after a strong start to the season saw him benched from January onwards. The 24-year-old was not to Xavi Hernandez’s taste, but Hansi Flick has reportedly backed himself to be the first of his six managers since leaving Benfica to get the form out of him that earned a €127m move to Atletico Madrid.

According to Sport, Flick agrees with Sporting Director Deco that Felix can finally show his quality for Barcelona next season, and will back Felix, feeling it to be an important factor in doing so. Meanwhile Felix himself will demand that he return to Barcelona, rejecting all other offers. Felix has turned down a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia, and the chance to return to Benfica on loan in order to return to Barcelona.

Supposedly the Barcelona hierarchy feel Xavi did not take advantage of his talents, and with little other choice than holding onto to him, Atletico will accept a new loan, with the clubs already having reached an agreement on that. The Blaugrana will not have an option to buy, and are working on the economic conditions to make the deal work between the two clubs. Diego Simeone is simply happy to get rid of Felix again next year, and Felix has the club’s permission to train alone in hope of sealing the move, instead of starting preseason with Atletico.

Felix is clearly talented, but where Barcelona’s faith in him seems to come from is their links to his agent, who few deny has a strong influence at Barcelona. Performances against Atletico Madrid and Porto last season show that he can have an impact, but with so many systems and managers being used around him, unless Felix himself changes, then he will again be in the same situation as he has been for the last three summers.

Frenkie De Jong delivers fresh future update after Hansi Flick meeting and Man United links

New Barcelona boss Hansi Flick says Frenkie De Jong is ‘untouchable’ amid links to Manchester United.

The 27-year-old has been a long-term target for United with Erik ten Hag believed to be an admirer of the player from his time at Ajax. The Reds were embroiled in a lengthy and ultimately pointless back-and-forth with Barca as they attempted to sign the Dutchman after Ten Hag’s appointment.

However, De Jong expressed on several occasions his desire to remain at Barcelona. Instead, Casemiro was brought in but has had a disappointing spell across the two years at Old Trafford.

Flick, who will have a number of decisions to make this summer after penning a two-year deal at the Camp Nou, seems to have already made his stance clear over De Jong. According to local journalist Roger Torello, he described the midfielder as an ‘untouchable’ player, suggesting he has no intention to part ways with the midfielder.

When asked about his future following the arrival of Flick, De Jong told Mundo Deportivo: “Staying at Barca? Yes, I’m very happy in Barcelona with my family, for sure. Hansi Flick wants me to be key? I talked to him, it was good. After the European Championship we will see how he is doing.”

Barca president Joan Laporta has also insisted that de Jong is ‘delighted’ at the club and does not want to leave despite interest from elsewhere. “The last thing he would want would be to leave Barcelona,” the 61-year-old confirmed. “He has told me more than once, that he is delighted here.