"I'm not in this business to make friends, I'm in it to win." Josh Kroenke said that in 2019, when 16 Arsenal supporter groups were circulating open letters and launching petitions questioning the ownership's commitment. Six years later, Arsenal are top of the Premier League, through to the Champions League and FA Cup quarter-finals, and one League Cup final win away from keeping a quadruple alive.
That quote aged well.
A pattern of engaging, not hiding
What separates Josh from the caricature of the disengaged American sports billionaire is the willingness to actually show up when things get uncomfortable. When the Colorado Rapids' Centennial 38 supporters group published a scathing open letter in September 2023 — flagging poor squad investment, inadequate communication, and the deteriorating state of DICK'S Sporting Goods Park — Josh didn't go quiet. He fired back with specifics: feasibility studies, infrastructure partners, the Victory Crossing Project masterplan.
It's the same instinct he showed at Arsenal in 2019. Sit down with the groups. Have the tough conversations. Commit publicly to a direction. Whether you buy it or not, it's a more functional model than the bunker mentality that defines ownership at plenty of other clubs.
The Kroenkes, who have held a stake since 2007 and now control 97 per cent of the club after buying out Alisher Usmanov's 30 per cent share for over £600m, were never going to win popularity contests in north London. Stan's reputation preceded him. But Josh has consistently operated as the human interface between a faceless corporate structure and a fanbase that demands to be heard.
The summer that changed the conversation
Promises and delivery are different things, and Arsenal supporters have heard enough of the former over the years. But the transfer activity in the summer of 2025 shifted the argument. The squad Mikel Arteta now has is genuinely built to compete on four fronts — and right now, they're doing exactly that.
Sunday's League Cup final against Pep Guardiola's side is the first real test of whether this squad can close out silverware. Arsenal's odds of winning the cup will reflect their league position, but anyone pricing a quadruple should note that Premier League leaders who reach four finals don't do so by accident. The infrastructure — on the pitch and off it — is finally aligned.
"We're trying to win whilst also respecting the values and traditions of the club," Josh said in 2019. At the time it sounded like corporate boilerplate. Right now, it looks like a mission statement with results attached.
