Has Mukesh Ambani Set his Sights on Buying Arsenal FC?

If Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani were to enter the football ownership market, speculations claim that he would choose to purchase Arsenal FC above Manchester United or Liverpool.

After 12 years in charge, Liverpool’s owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) decided to put the Merseyside club up for sale in November 2022.

Two weeks later, the Glazer family did the same with Manchester United.

Despite the two biggest clubs in Premier League history being on the market, Ambani’s son Akash is a diehard Arsenal fan.

So, it seems to have swung the scale in favour of the North London team.

Current Arsenal FC owner Stan Kroenke has refused to sell, and despite recent pressure from Arsenal supporters, he hasn’t indicated that he would be prepared to give up control of the team.

In April 2021, demonstrations were conducted outside the Emirates Stadium.

This was in response to the failed European Super League initiative in which Arsenal had a prospective position.

Stan Kroenke also owns several sports clubs in the United States, including the LA Rams and Denver Nuggets.

Kroenke and his son Josh have previously been accused of not displaying enough interest in Arsenal.

Nevertheless, their significant transfers since 2021 have gained them some admirers.

Ben White and Martin Odegaard were two players who Arsenal spent £150 million in 2021, among others.

They later bolstered their roster with a few more well-known players in the 2022 summer transfer window.

Among the deals, they recruited Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City.

Mikel Arteta’s team presently leads the Premier League by five points before domestic play resumes, indicating that their purchasing has so far paid off.

Mukesh Ambani, aged 65, is the chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries Ltd and is said to be worth roughly £73.2 billion.

Despite his attempts to take over the Gunners, Ambani may still find himself in the race for Liverpool and Manchester United given rumours that he is eager to spend billions on a Premier League team.

According to Simon Chadwick, a professor of sport and geopolitical economy at the SKEMA Business School, India is on the horizon to break through the world of football investment.

Chadwick commented:

“There is an increasing appetite in India for non-cricket investment opportunities in sport.”

“This links to India’s digital and entertainment economy. City Football Group invested in Mumbai, and Mumbai is the digital, entertainment and financial capital of India.

“If you look at some of the things Abu Dhabi’s wealth fund is investing in, they have invested in digital start-ups in Mumbai.

“There is a sense India could be the next great frontier. We’ve already had China, and now we have Saudi Arabia.”

So, questions are being asked if Ambani could be the next big businessman part of the Premier League.