'We do not want a Sheikh Mansour-style sugar daddy' - Arsenal Supporters' Trust

Stan Kroenke and Alisher Usmanov are the north Londoners’ two principal shareholders but there is little appetite for a takeover among fans, involving either the billionaire pair or any other potential investor.

Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game

Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £50 in free bets!

Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25

Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200

Sign up with Paddy Power - Bet £10, Get £20!

Results of the annual membership survey from the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust demonstrate that 97 per cent of respondents do not want the club’s income to be reliant on a wealthy benefactor.

Despite Arsenal’s inability to compete with the wages and transfer fees paid by Manchester City and Chelsea, AST members showed their strong support for the current model of financial self-sustainability and plural ownership involving ‘supporter shareholders’.

Of the six options offered to fans – plural ownership; mutual ownership controlled by a Supporters’ Trust; private ownership reliant on revenues generated by club; PLC model; private ownership reliant on a wealthy benefactor; private ownership based on debt – 63 per cent opted for plural ownership, 21 per cent for mutual ownership and just 3 per cent for an Abramovich-style private tycoon.

There have been few developments this summer in Arsenal’s four-year long ownership battle although Usmanov continues to hoover up small tranches of shares and Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith – the fourth largest stakeholder – is still trying to find a buyer for her 15.9 per cent stake.

Sugar daddy | But Arsenal fans do now want an owner like Man City's Sheikh Mansour

Kroenke, who owns 29.9 per cent of Arsenal, is a marginally more popular figure among supporters than Usmanov, who has a 26 per cent stake. Only 13 per cent of fans want the American to launch a takeover, while just four per cent want Usmanov to own the club.

There is also disappointment that Kroenke has refused to state his intentions or, indeed, make any statement about his views or vision of the club, football or Premier League, with 93 per cent saying he should provide more information to fans.

Despite the hostility to an Usmanov takeover, 40 per cent of respondents say he should be offered a seat on the board.

Although 91 per cent of fans said the board’s general financial management was either good or excellent, there was less approval for the directors’ accountability and openness, with 65 per cent saying it was poor or average.

As for the team’s performance, although 99 per cent agree that Arsenal represent attractive and entertaining football, only 11 per cent believe the club prioritise the objective of winning trophies. In addition, 53 per cent believe Arsene Wenger’s football philosophy takes too much precedence over the winning of trophies.

Nevertheless, 60 per cent are either satisfied or highly satisfied with the club’s performance in recent years and 75 per cent say they are optimistic for the future.

Intriguingly, the FA Cup is regarded as the fourth footballing priority behind the Premier League, Champions League and Carling Cup, although only three per cent of fans believe it is acceptable to play a weakened side in the competition following the controversy of last season.

The results of the survey will be presented to the Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis and to Arsenal’s board and leading shareholders, who have undertaken a strategic review of the club.

The release of the questionnaire comes in the week that Arsenal launched a pioneering new scheme for ordinary supporters to become part-owners of the club.

Arsenal Fanshare, which has been hailed by the Government and Uefa as a progressive step, allows supporters to collectively buy fractions of the club’s shares for as little as £100, or £10 a month.

Our  provides the best breaking news online and our  football fan community is unmatched worldwide. Never miss a thing again!