Patrick Vieira explains his role in Daniel Ek’s Arsenal takeover bid

Former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira has lifted the lid on his role in Daniel Ek’s attempt to buy the club.

Patrick Vieira has backed Daniel Ek as the right man to restore Arsenal’s DNA and revealed how his experience can aid the Swedish billionaire’s revolution.

Vieira, alongside fellow Arsenal legends Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp, has endorsed Ek’s attempt to buy control from the Kroenke family following last month’s failed European Super League project.

After years of frustration over Stan Kroenke’s running of the club, Arsenal fans demand change. They’ve even held furious protests against the American billionaire – an act that Henry has supported.

In light of these events, Ek, a lifelong Gunners fan, has made a £1.8 billion buyout bid. Kroenke, however, has stood firm and rebuffed the Spotify founder’s attempts to buy him out.

Following reports today I want to correct the record with attached statement pic.twitter.com/CzfF0Y76K4

— Daniel Ek (@eldsjal) May 15, 2021

But Vieira is adamant a change is needed for the 13-time English champions to rediscover their identity.

“After the time that I spent with Daniel, I personally believe it’s time for a change of ownership,” Vieira told the Daily Mail.

“I believe he is the right person to bring happiness back to this football club.

“We haven’t talked about ourselves. What is happening to this club at the moment is bigger than Dennis, Thierry or myself.

“We are concerned about how can we help Daniel, because we strongly believe he can take it to a different level.

“We didn’t talk about what we will do if Daniel gets the club. We didn’t get into that conversation yet because that is not the priority. The priority is to give the club back its DNA and what it deserves.”

What can Vieira, Bergkamp and Henry offer?

Premier League Hall of Fame:

Thierry Henry ✔️
Dennis Bergkamp ✔️
Patrick Vieira ⌛️ pic.twitter.com/qeH40msGQg

— Yasmin Ali (@Yas_Friends) May 19, 2021

“What is really important is to understand the football club, the fans, the country where you are,” continued Vieira.

“We have this kind of credibility because we know what we are talking about because of the number of years we spend in England and at Arsenal. We have experience that we can bring to the football club.”

“When you look at Dennis, Thierry and myself, we spent a lot of years at this club.

“Maybe it was the place where we played our best football. England was a fantastic place for us to live and we enjoyed our lives at the club and outside as well. The country and the club mean a lot to us.

“Seeing Arsenal not being one of the teams that can challenge for the Premier League or not being one of the teams guaranteed to play Champions League football is frustrating, because that is not what we are used to with Arsenal Football Club.

“The club deserves much better than that.”

Why is Ek different from Kroenke?

“The way that he talks about the club, the way he talks about the feeling he has for this club and what he is prepared to do for this club,” said Viera.

“When somebody is passionate about something, you have a feeling about it. I believe he can bring back the glory days at Arsenal if he managed to buy it.

“But to buy it, the guys need to sell and maybe the Kroenkes don’t want to sell.”

Bergkamp on Daniel Ek's takeover bid:

“Daniel has now reached out twice to Josh Kroenke & his bankers. Whatever Kroenke’s intentions are, it would be good if we at least have a conversation. Daniel is not a quitter & neither are we. We are here to stay."https://t.co/3dMSMD1n6z pic.twitter.com/ygys5e8s7p

— Charles Watts (@charles_watts) May 20, 2021