Tycoon Kroenke on the brink

Arsenal director close to takeover after increasing his stake in the club to 29.9%

AMERICAN tycoon Stan Kroenke is within 17 shares of the threshold that would force him to make a takeover bid for Arsenal Football Club.
The billionaire paid £212,500 for 25 more shares in the club on Monday and now holds a 29.9 per cent stake.
Takeover guidelines in the UK state that if a shareholder’s stake in a company reaches 30 per cent, they have to offer to buy the entire stockholding.
So it is inevitable that Mr Kroenke, who already owns NBA’s Denver Nuggets and the Colorado Rapids MLS football team, will now launch a formal takeover of Arsenal.
Mr Kroenke, a director at the club, has gradually increased his stake in the Gunners this year but has so far declined to comment on his intentions.
Away from the financial wranglings at the Emirates, Abou Diaby says he is ready to take on Alex Song’s defensive midfield role when the Cameroon international heads for the Africa Cup of Nations in January.
With Song set to be away for up to six weeks owing to his international commitments, Diaby says he would be ­happy to play a little deeper than usual if he’s required to. “I’m ready for it if they ask me to do it,” he told the official matchday programme prior to Saturday’s 3-0 win over Hull.
“I have done it before. I haven’t heard anything about it yet though. As I say, I’m happy to play anywhere.”
STEVE BARNETT