Two new updates as Josh Kroenke makes up mind on £200m plan that would transform Arsenal

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Josh Kroenke has certainly taken over his father, Stan Kroenke’s, day-to-day responsibilities at Arsenal and he now appears to have made his mind up about one of the defining issues of the day.

Kroenke junior has sat on the Arsenal board for over a decade, originally as a non-executive director.

The undisputed nadir of the Kroenke regime at the Emirates came during the protests that followed their failed attempts to take the club into the European Super League in 2021.

Josh Kroenke has since taken more of a public-facing role than his father in North London, although it was a low bar given that Stan Kroenke had earned the moniker ‘Silent Stan’ among Arsenal fans.

He was appointed as co-chair during a boardroom reshuffle in 2023 and has overseen something of a renaissance on the pitch under Mike Arteta and Edu Gaspar.

Acting as spokesperson for KSE, Josh Kroenke revealed tentative plans to expand the Emirates earlier this summer.

And he recently revealed his stance on another issue that has whirled around Arsenal for some time now.

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Two major updates on taking Premier League games to America after Josh Kroenke reveals stance

For as long as the Premier League has been a global product, the idea of taking competitive matches to the United States has been floated.

The Premier League Summer Series pre-season tournament was recently launched across the Atlantic, but that is unlikely to placate cash-hungry owners for long.

The Premier League is the fastest growing major sports league in America and various studies have found that commercial growth in the territory could be worth hundreds of millions to clubs like Arsenal.

However, Josh Kroenke recently distanced himself from plans to take matches to the US, saying:

“While it does sound attractive to a broadcaster or to Fifa, we’re happy with the current arrangement in the schedule, both domestically and in Europe,” he said.

“As a club, we have worked incredibly hard on and off the pitch the past few years and with input led by this group.

“Our goal is to re-establish a meaningful connection with our supporters, help shape club policy where appropriate and develop trust in the direction we are heading as a club.

“For anyone who has been at the Emirates the past few years, what we have now is very special.

“I believe the people in this room have helped turn our home stadium into a fortress.

“We want to host as many matches as possible so our players feel the love and injection of energy that is provided by the fans.”

If true, his stance is admirable given that the extra broadcast cash generated would easily take Arsenal’s annual media income past £200m.

This week, Bournemouth owner Bill Foley, an American himself, has repeated his insistence that clubs should not take matches Stateside.

And in another new development as reported by the Daily Mail, Relevant – the agency who many see as the most likely to broker a deal to take matches to the US – has appointed a new chairman.

Former ESPN and Formula One supremo Sean Bratches heavily implied that taking matches Premier League matches abroad was among his priorities in a statement accompanying news of his appointment.

Bratches wrote: “The sport of football is ascendant globally and the opportunity to partner with and contribute to the commercial development of professional football leagues, both in and out of territory, is something that I am quite passionate about.”

The value of Premier League games in the United States to Arsenal

It is difficult to quantify exactly how much, say, a single Premier League game in the United States would be worth to Arsenal, or any other club for that matter.

There are any number of variables that may affect how the extra TV cash would be distributed, although it would likely be weighted towards ‘bigger’ clubs like Arsenal who generate more buzz in the US.

Arsenal toured the United States in pre-season again ahead of 2024-25, visiting the SoFi Stadium – home of Stan Kroenke’s LA Rams NFL franchise – as well as other destinations.

Their earnings for that tour have not been reported, but they will likely have banked around £10m after costs from the excursion.

That gives some indication as to the value of and interest in the Premier League in America.