Nigerian businessman, Aliko Dangote has vowed to sack club manager, Arsene Wenger if he buys Arsenal Football Club.
Speaking in an interview with Bloomberg, Dangote said his desire to own the club dates back to the mid-1980s.
Dangote said he’ll consider making an offer once the construction of his $11 billion oil refinery in Lagos is completed.
“The first thing I would change is the coach. He has done a good job, but someone else should also try his luck,” he said.
Stan Kroenke, American billionaire, is Arsenal’s biggest shareholder, controlling 67 percent of the football club.
Earlier in the year, Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, who holds a 30 percent stake, sought to buy out Kroenke’s stake in an offer that valued Arsenal at an estimated $2.6 billion.
Dangote said he’s optimistic that the right offer will persuade Kroenke and Usmanov to sell their shares to him.
“If they get the right offer, I’m sure they would walk away. Someone will give them an offer that will make them seriously consider walking away. And when we finish the refinery, I think we will be in a position to do that,” Dangote said.
Wenger, the longest and most successful Arsenal Manager having spent 21 years, since his appointment to the north London club in 1996, has won three Premier League titles and seven FA Cup trophies.
In May, He signed and agreed a 2-year deal with the Club which keeps him in Emirate Stadium till 2019 despite calls by fans for him to step down.
