Seasons2018-19Rumour Mill
Usmanov admits defeat in Arsenal board aims
A report by the Financial Times that Alisher Usmanov may finally be seeking to sell his shares in Arsenal Football Club has once more ramped up speculation that he could join his business partner, Farhad Moshiri, at Everton.
The Uzbek-born billionaire owns just over 30% of Arsenal's shares but his quest for a seat on the Gunners' board and a say in how the club is run has been stymied by majority holder Stan Kroenke.
Moshiri sold his 15% holdings in Arsenal two-and-a-half years ago so he could take a major interest in Everton and the dream persists among Everton fans that Usmanov will sell up in North London and bring his sizeable net worth to Goodison Park — perhaps to finance the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, which is still awaiting the ratification of a funding model.
The FT article doesn't advance that dream further by suggesting that Usmanov is ready to sell his Arsenal shares – he has consistently claimed that they are a family investment that would be willed to his children – but the fact that he sees no route onto the Board as long as Kroenke is at the helm leaves the door open for speculation.