Josh Kroenke has declared Arsenal won’t be standing still this summer and talks are already underway as the club prepares to arm Mikel Arteta with a squad capable of retaining the Premier League title.
The Gunners finally got their hands on the trophy that had evaded them for 22 years on Sunday after rounding off their domestic season with a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace.
After more raucous celebrations overnight, attention will swiftly turn to Saturday’s Champions League final where the north London club can achieve more history by toppling Paris Saint-Germain.
Kroenke, who was in attendance at Selhurst Park alongside his father and the club’s owner Stan, insists senior figures at Arsenal are already planning further ahead with a mind to strengthening both on and off the pitch.
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Speaking to NBC, he said: ‘The business never stops. Right now there are already other teams who are trying to strengthen and come at us for next season.
‘We need to be aware of that. We’ve already had a few different conversations about different areas where we think we can improve on and off the pitch.
‘I am looking forward to getting that going this summer but it’s going to be an interesting one because of the World Cup but fortunately everyone is coming to the United States so I don’t have to travel.’
The behind the scenes structure at the club has changed markedly since the Kroenke family assumed full control of Arsenal back in 2018.
Edu, Vinai Venkatesham, Raul Sanllehi and Tim Lewis all made various contributions in getting Arsenal to a point whereby they were capable of challenging for major honours again.
The current structure, which has seen Arteta play an increasingly influential role alongside sporting director Andrea Berta, has powered Arsenal to a landmark triumph.
‘My father is the owner of the club, everyone calls me owner at times and I say my father still owns the club last time I checked and I’m just trying to be his eyes and ears,’ said Josh Kroenke when asked about his place in the club’s hierarchy.
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‘When I’m over I’m really just trying to take stock of everything from a holistic level, the culture of the club who is doing what.
‘From my point I’m plugging into the board, we’ve got great people leading right into Mikel and Andrea.
‘When you have Mikel and Andrea overseeing all of our sporting side like they have and then our players, I can’t say enough about them. They’ve been put together over a period of time and they’ve grown together.
‘That continuity really allowed them to come together in a way to achieve something special in a way that some groups can’t when they’re put together in a hastily way.’
Kroenke Sports & Entertainment are no strangers to overseeing success with their various NBA, NFL and NHL franchises all having benefited from their investment and acumen.
It has taken a little while longer to achieve what they set out to accomplish at Arsenal and win over a skeptical fanbase and Kroenke junior revealed there was something additionally significant about achieving goals with Arsenal.
He said: ‘To me and my father, winning at the highest level is a process and it’s not just something you can flick a light switch on and go try to do.
‘You have to really put a plan together over a number of years and be aware of the competition around you and there’s some incredibly strong competition and some very smart people and historically great teams in the Premier League.
‘Putting that group together, knowing that competitive spirit, allowing them to grow together and allowing them to fail at times is part of it too. We came close in different championships in the US and sometimes you have to fail before you succeed and I think this group really took that to heart.’
‘It’s like choosing a favourite child there’s no way to truly say,’ he added when asked where Arsenal’s Premier League victory ranked among all the trophies he has won with various teams.
‘I will say the competition here and the cumulative points starting to feel that pressure in December when you really start to build over a period of time is different than a seven-game series like we have in the United States.
‘The pressure is different, you start to feel it a little earlier and these players when the pressure started to mount they really came together. Credit to Mikel and his staff and the entire group for persevering and getting it over the line.’