Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has said the first thing he would do if he were to acquire Arsenal Football Club is fire the coach.
Frenchman, Arsene Wenger, has been manager at the North London club since 1996.
Speaking in an interview with Bloomberg, Dangote said his desire to own the club dates back to the mid-1980s.
Wenger has increasingly come under pressure for failing to win a league title since 2005 in spite of recent successes with the FA Cup and Community Shield.
Like many other Arsenal fans, Dangote believes the 67-year-old “has done a good job, but someone else should also try his luck”.
Dangote said he would consider making an offer for the club once the construction of his $11 billion oil refinery in Lagos is completed.
He said he is optimistic that the right offer will persuade Stan Kroenke and Alisher Usmanov to sell their shares to him.
Kroenke, an American billionaire, is Arsenal’s biggest shareholder, controlling 67 percent of the company.
Russian billionaire, Usmanov, who holds a 30 percent stake, recently sought to buy out Kroenke in an offer that valued Arsenal at an estimated $2.6 billion.
Dangote’s words “Well you know anything is possible in this world if they get the right offer, I’m sure they would walk away.
“We will be in a position to give them the right offer, they will not hold Arsenal forever, and 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”.
Wenger is Arsenal’s longest-serving manager and most successful in terms of major titles won.
He has won three Premier League titles and seven FA Cup trophies.
Wenger in May agreed to a new two-year deal which was against the wish of several fans who asked him to step down.
