To the Arsenal Board of Directors,

I was shocked and surprised to hear the news that David Dein has been forced to depart Arsenal Football Club by the rest of the Board of Directors.

Mr Dein was instrumental in bringing Mr Wenger to Arsenal Football Club; and he in turn has been the driving force behind the transformation of the club on and off the pitch.

Therefore I am surprised that the Board have forced out one of the most visionary Directors who has the ideas to keep this Football Club competitive now and in the future.

You the Board of Directors appear to be afraid to accept a takeover or investment bid from Stan Kroenke. I and many fans believe this is short sighted and irresponsible of you the Board in not accepting one of these options. It is clear that we as a football club and fallen too far behind the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and now Liverpool in the financial ability to compete in the transfer market. Mr Wenger has worked miracles in buying the quality he has; however it is clear that the team is still in transition and needs three or four experienced international players to allow us to compete for the Premiership title and other honours. To do this we need transfer funds of (I expect in the current market) £50 million. I and many fans do not think you the Board have those funds or even a quarter of those funds available. The person who does is Stan Kroenke.

It is time that you the Board wake up and face reality, you have done the best you can and taken the club as far as you can but now you must bring in new money to the club by allowing Stan Kroenke to at least prove his worth and invest in the club or allowing him to buy the club outright. You would like to keep the traditions of the club in the way it behaves - i.e. “working to get things done quietly behind the scenes and not talking to the press”. Stan Kroenke and his companies appear to have also behaved like that. I quote:

Officials at the MLS Colorado Rapids were not allowed to speak to the media about the transaction. KSE vice-president Paul Andrews said, "We've always said that with regards to speculation, we don't speculate in relation to our holdings or any future moves."

This to me means he has discretion and knows the meaning of values in his companies. He is in charge of several sports teams and is not a beginner to the sporting world. Also the fact that the money he is investing is guaranteed by his wife - one of the heirs to the Walmart Empire - suggests we would not have a large debt hanging over us like Manchester United do. The club - if Stan Kroenke takes over - could not be in better hands, at least financially.

You the Board of Directors now need to prove your worth once and for all by either giving the financial muscle Mr Wenger needs or stepping aside and letting someone else in who can.

Regards

Mr Stuart Holloway

(Season Ticket holder for 20 years).

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