I’ve heard this evening from a normally very reliable source – if you’re on Twitter you’ll know who – that Alisher Usmanov now controls 30 per cent of Arsenal shares. They may not all be in his name yet, unless he has been doing a lot of paperwork over the last couple of days, but he apparently controls them.
The story coming out of the Usmanov camp is that they wanted to avoid a public countdown to the 30 per cent figure of 18,666 shares, so chose to keep some shares at arms length – in different names or not actually purchased, but just with agreements to purchase – until they had enough arranged to be over 30 per cent. There is nothing illegal about this, as only company directors have to disclose every share transaction at the time, and should also disclose arrangements with others (‘acting in concert’). Usmanov does not have those obligations at present.
Thirty per cent has of course been his long-standing target figure, though the goalpost of the Premier League rules has potentially shifted a bit since the quest started, making it a less meaningful figure.
If he has reached the milestone and the shares are now all in his name, or that of Red & White Holdings, then we can expect a stock market announcement very soon, as whole percentage milestones must all be reported for any significant shareholding (above 10%).
Without official confirmation I am not going to go further – I accept that there is the possibility of disinformation coming out of the Usmanov camp in order to gauge or even provoke a reaction – but if you’re a regular reader of this blog you’ll know that Arsenal shareholdings are a bit of a pet subject of mine. If you’re not a regular reader or just want a reminder, below is a list of my Usmanov- and share-related blog posts, with the most recent first. Whatever question you have about Usmanov or Arsenal shares, I can (almost) guarantee the answer is in these posts somewhere. But if not, feel free to ask.
Three to do with the shares traded on Plus Markets last week:
40 Shares traded on 28 August – or were they?
Plus Markets trying to make me look like a crazy fool!
The final story (I hope)
Who owns all Arsenal shares? (as at end of July)
Maximum Arsenal share price from 2007
Arsenal shares traded on Plus Markets since Jan 2011
The Arsenal Shares Mystery – why does Usmanov want 30% anyway?
Change in PL rules – so does 30% for Usmanov mean anything?
What would a rights issue mean for Arsenal?
Alisher Usmanov Q&A – Everything Arsenal fans need to know
How many Arsenal shares does Usmanov own now? (ie in April 2012)
Usmanov given stately home, allegedly
Usmanov and his (almost) 30% shareholding
Follow me on twitter (or follow this blog) for further updates: @AngryOfN5
angryofislington 
Which means that he can propose a takeover, to which Kroenke says: “Not bloody likely, you convicted embezzler, and possible sex pest.” End of. Aren’t there enough criminals running clubs in the Prem for you Mr Angry?
There are certainly enough Americans milking money out of the Premiership already. Astounding that a small minority of fans, if that is what you actually are, still don’t understand Kroenke needs to be pushed out
30% or not, it does not make any difference as long as Kronke continues to hold majority ie50%+ of the share and has the board in his pocket!
Usmanov’s only hope is that the supporters back his hostile takeover(if he is planning one), which is highly unlikely as long as Arsene is the manager and the club continues to do reasonably well.
All very frustrating for the fans in the meantime, as we would prefer this billionaires to inject some cash and either pay off the club’s debt or beef up the transfer kitty!!!
Be careful what you wish for Nik…..he won’t spend a cent on AFC if he somehow gets control but will bleed the club dry like the yanks did at Liverpool. Few true fans want Usmanov the Hut despite what you pretend to believe….he isn’t a quickfix but rather a quickie that will leave AFC with a headache and a sore Arse after he buggers off.
Agreed weedonald.
Example no 1: Liverpool – under Dalglish, spend, spend, spend… this summer, wouldn’t stump up 6m for a player the manager wanted.
“The times they are a-changing” at Liverpool, no question.
What do you kroneke is doing at the moment then?
Who said we want the Russian mafia to buy us some tropies? We can leave that to the trophy starved chavs in west London… Football’s already gone beyond a joke in the last few seasons…
Hi,
Good and interesting post.
I was wondering if you had any information about Arsenal’s complete financials – i.e., the move to Emirates, how much has been paid off, how much left, the commercial deals we are on and when they will improve. I have read varying posts and was hoping to get a clearer picture of everything.
Thanks!
It is a step forward, it is still too early to make a bid for takeover, but he can go over the financials and see where the money is going and hopefully he can hold some executives accountable for our dreadful commercial position. Above all, we got an Oil billionaire (key), much much better than the supermarket tycoons (penny pinchers) we have running around the PL….
You’re talking nonsense Han…check out the Swiss Rambler’s website for a clear and factual explanation of the commercial position AFC have been in and are now improving on before making such dumb statements.
Look at Chelsea, laden in debt (appears to be 300 million, but in the real sense when one adds the 500 million owed to Abramovich, its 800. City the same, as Big Al mentioned, Kenny just spent and spent lots of Liverpool’s money last season (100 million) to be precise, only to win the Carling Cup which brings, how much again? Sorry, I don’t want that for Arsenal. I would go another 8 or 9 seasons more without a trophy, for the club to remain healthy. When all these godpapas have outgrown their toys and are no longer interested in them, they will drop them and move on to some other thing which gives them pleasure. In the mean time, our debt is reducing, and as we have seen this summer, we can buy, and we will buy those players who improve what is already there. Lets have patience, and enjoy the game. In any case, the trophy cabinet is soon forgotten when the club is laden in debt, just ask Leeds and Newcastle, they have a story to tell for sure.
Nobody will like an embezzler and a sex pervert to be the face of our dear club. Why must it be in the Premier League that these rogues intend to invest? Is it not because of their profitably? Success alone could not be the issue because some Spanish, Italian and German clubs are also successful. Is it for fun? This sound very implausible. It must have something to do with some aspects of British law that guarantee safe haven to looters and embezzlers in the name of liberty over hyped fundamental human right which no longer make the English Society as very revered as it used to be. It is high time these looters of their countries are chased out of England to go and face the music in their countries before they infest the British heritage with the devastating virus of fraud and before football is destroyed in the cradle of its inventor. There are many poor people within Russia and its former allies and also do they have many sporting activities that need their money.
Purchase of Manchester City Football Club
As prime minister, Shinawatra Thaksin (ex-Prime Minister of Thailand) had unsuccessfully sought to buy the English Premier League football clubs Fulham and later Liverpool, in what critics claimed was a publicity stunt in response to his political problems.
On 21 June 2007, now out of office, he bought Premier League club Manchester City for £81.6 million. After appointing Sven-Göran Eriksson as manager Eriksson was later critical of Thaksin’s running of the club, saying “he [Thaksin] didn’t understand football – he hadn’t a clue.” He sold the club to investors from Abu Dhabi United Group in September 2008 for a reported £200 million.
He’s currently “on the run” from Thai Authorities.
Usmanov IN KROENK OUT
Common sense in…..j out!
Isn’t it funny that you can give everyone all the correct information but they still insist on stating something that is factually incorrect?
I am beginning to feel like the club’s financial model lends itself conveniently to Economics , to satisfy political agenda and benefit the few. I can no longer fully embrace the long term gains to be had, as I am becoming increasingly skeptical as to who will ultimately wreak the rewards. I don’t have a problem with how the club is run, but more with the people who run it. Why would any true fan want to see their club owned by someone who doesn’t even like the game, and makes a living from buying sporting teams.
Greed always manifests, Maybe not tomorrow, next year or even next decade (god forbid), but it will. It’s just a question of how many more sacrifices the club will need to make for the penny to drop. Kroenke’s shareholdings have increased from £480 mill to £690mill since he bought the club- Think he’ll stick around a little longer and continue to bank the profits and improve the reserves on our Balance Sheet, and then sell to the highest bidder (any Tom,Dick and Harry with little sentiment to the club) when the time/price is right. Our long term future is not as secure as you Kroenke partisan’s may think, and the chances of us eventually being owned by a sugar daddy are actually higher then what you give credit for.
Where did you get these delusions from vp? Usmanov is a far more serious threat to AFC than Kroenke ever was…..At least Mr.K is an astute sports businessman who does stay out of management decisions, when he doesn’t know what is going on….Usmanov the Hut will drain AFC dry since he is another Glazer clone. I am not a Kroenke partisan but living in North America, I know a lot more about his dealing than you seem to and I know he is in it for the long run. Usmanov was in the RVP affair along with Dein and RVP’s agent and he will be snaking his way into anything AFC if he can.
‘A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing’
and at the moment we’re all experts.
none of us have any idea of the agenda or true financesof either of our major shareholders but we all speculate.. I ‘d like to see any of the sooth/naysayers speculate so decisively with their own cash.
We’re in limbo, all we can do is cheer on and hope AW maintains the integrity he has so to date
Our former man to the bordellos in Tashkent, is a liar!
There are 1100 Alisher Usmanovs registered in the 2010 Russian Census. To have ALL the crimes and misdeeds of 1099 other Alisher Usmanovs, is a bit much for our shareholder Mr A.B. Usmanov., through his 50% share of Red & White Holdings.
As a budding businessman, ABU fell into the clutches of Yuri Andropov, the head of the then KGB. Yuri Andropov was also in charge of the Soviet response to the Afghanistan request in 1979. The corruption in Central Asia and also the Caucasus republics was endemic. Scapegoats for the corruption were required, and Mr A.B. Usmanov as a trader in commodities, was caught, tried and sentenced. There was a third person added to the Court Martial and his charge was also included in the sentences for Mr A.B. Usmanov and his friend a KGB officer.
The real problem were the solicitors, Mr. A.B. Usmanov employed. The two solicitors boasted on their company site of the success in closing down the Internet!