My light shines on Arsenal

Chapter 102 Calls from North America
One day ago, North America, Denver.

Inside the headquarters of the KSE Group—the full name is Kroenke Sports and Entertainment Group.

Arsenal's largest shareholder, the billionaire, the famous Grandet, Stan Kroenke sat in his chair.

In the room, apart from Kroenke, there was only a middle-aged man in his forties, wearing a well-tailored suit and well-groomed hair, sitting opposite Kroenke's desk.

"Tim, I'd like you to stay and hear what we're going to discuss next."

"As you wish, boss."

Tim Lewis, the Kroenke family's longtime corporate lawyer, humbly nodded in agreement.

"Squeak-"

The door was pushed open and two people walked in one after another.

The first person to enter was Josh Kroenke, the son of Stan Kroenke, who was in his thirties and wearing a Denver Nuggets-themed sweatshirt.

Following behind Kroenke is Arsenal CEO, Ivan Gazidis.

"Mr. Kroenke, Mr. Gazidis."

Tim Lewis greeted him politely, Kroenke Jr. walked over to give Tim a hug without hesitation, and Gazidis just responded lightly.

The core personnel of Kroenke's faction in Arsenal's management were gathered in front of Kroenke.

"Ivan, thank you for coming from England." Old Kroenke said.

Before Gazidis could say anything, he had already turned his attention to others.

"Two questions." Stan Kroenke went straight to the point. "They are about the head coach and the team president... I want to hear your opinions."

Josh Kroenke spread his hands indifferently and complained: "Dad, you don't care about this team. You have never invested a penny in it. Is there anything to discuss about this kind of thing?"

Kroenke has received an American-style elite education since he was a child. His accent is a standard elite accent, but his tone does not have much respect for Arsenal.

What he likes is football, followed by basketball, and these two sports are the most popular and most profitable in North America, and they are the focus of KSE's layout.

In fact, before he was called over by his father, Kroenke was excitedly preparing to discuss long-term trade issues with the Denver Nuggets management.

Stan Kroenke is always going to be old, and Kroenke Jr. knows that one day he will take over this stylistic empire. He needs a stepping stone, a little grade, to exercise his ability and prove himself.

And he has already found a target, and the Denver Nuggets are a good fit.

The NBA does not have a cruel promotion and relegation system, it is full of entertainment, and it does not have overly fanatical fans like the NFL. In a place that attracts relatively less attention, it is easier for Kroenke to establish his reputation.

The Nuggets' strength at this time is not bad. The famous coach George Karl leads the team, and there are also strong players such as Gallinari, Afflalo, and Ty Lawson. It will not be a problem to enter the playoffs.

But little Kroenke's wishful thinking came to nothing. He was actually called by his father to discuss the football club.

Young Kroenke has a keen sense of this. He knows that he will not participate in the in-depth operation of the club for no reason. The only explanation is that his father wants to throw him into managing Arsenal...

What's going on? Isn't this just exile?

Young Kroenke is well aware of KSE's investment situation. Old Kroenke has never spent a penny on Arsenal, so why should he go to London by himself?

But even though he was full of complaints, the education and cultivation that little Kroenke received still allowed him to hold back his dissatisfaction and participate in this meeting.

"Josh!" Old Kroenke scolded dissatisfiedly, "Be serious."

Little Kroenke shrugged, "Coach, didn't Mr. Wenger recommend a young man? I think it will work. By the way, have you ever watched Moneyball?"

Tim Lewis nodded slightly, "Mr. Kroenke, I have read this book. The story of Billy Bean is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people."

"The young coach looked a bit like Billy Beane to me and we should take a gamble."

"But his experience is very shallow." Gazidis, who had been silent until now, spoke up. "He has no experience in independent coaching of the first team. Is it too risky to hand over the team to him?"

"I gave Arsene a promise, Ivan," Stan Kroenke said.

"I know, boss. But... the decision is ours, and no one knows about this promise."

"What about your opinion, Tim?"

Hearing the old Kroenke ask himself, Tim Lewis was stunned and replied: "I don't have enough knowledge about sports, but from my perspective, I think we can try it - as long as we work with him When signing a contract, do some design on the structure of the contract.”

Stan Kroenke was noncommittal, "It seems that this decision is not easy to make, so let's talk about the next issue first-the issue of the club chairman."

"Boss, Arsene Wenger cannot be president of the club."

This time, Gazidis responded quickly.

Come on, he managed to find an opportunity to purge Wenger's influence from the team, how can he pass it up for nothing?

Gazidis himself does not feel that he has any personal grudge against Wenger. On the contrary, he supports Wenger's work because Wenger can produce maximum benefits with minimum investment, which makes his work as a CEO less stressful. Quite a few.

But as Wenger worked longer and longer at Arsenal, his power became stronger and his status became higher and higher, Gazidis became a little restless.

When he was in the major leagues, as a league official, what Gazidis was good at was never business development, but coordinating the interests of all parties and maintaining the balance of all parties in the alliance.

At Arsenal, Gazidis always believes that his mission is not to build a business empire for the team, but to bring a sustainable and coordinated power structure to the club.

This is Gazidis’ greatest wish and a goal he believes he should achieve.

He saw himself as a change-maker, with Arsene Wenger increasingly becoming a stumbling block.

"Boss, Arsene has a great place at the club, he has left a lot of legacy... I thank him, but a lot of it will hinder the progress of the club."

Gazidis explained hurriedly.

"What about you? Josh?"

"Me?" Little Kroenke smiled, "I don't think there is any problem, Arsene Wenger, I have heard of this guy, he is a very powerful guy, if he can stay in the club as the chairman, Isn't it a good thing?"

Seeing Kroenke being so innocent and innocent, and not understanding his painstaking efforts, a few drops of sweat dripped from Gazidis' bald head.

Old Kroenke also saw that the wills among his subordinates were not unified. He thought for a while and said: "Hillwood will definitely retire, but there is more than one candidate for Arsene, and the choice of chairman is not something we can decide alone. .”

Tim Lewis's eyes flickered for a moment, and then he lowered his head.

"But maybe we can solve one of the problems first." Kroenke pointed to Tim Lewis.

"Tim, you go and give that young man...Chen Yao a call. I want to arrange an interview for him."

"Okay, boss."

Tim Lewis faithfully performed his duty, silently noted his task, and stood aside.

"I also have to attend the interview."

Little Kroenke himself felt uninterested in this matter, but seeing Gazidis' abnormal attitude and seeing his father's interest in the young coach, he gradually became a little enthusiastic.

What's more, if he really wants to manage Arsenal, this is a good opportunity to contact future collaborators.

"Ah."

Stan Kroenke didn't say anything. He waved his hand, indicating that his subordinates could leave.

This short meeting was over, and Kroenke narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched the office become empty.

Does he really not take Arsenal seriously?
The answer may only be known to Kroenke himself - of course not.

However, as a shrewd businessman, he knew that now was not the time.

(End of this chapter)