Josh Kroenke has reflected on Arsenal’s remarkable rise back to the top of English football after the club finally ended their 22-year wait for the Premier League title under Mikel Arteta.
The Arsenal co-chair opened up on the club’s transformation, the difficult years under the ownership of Kroenke Sports Enterprises and the major decisions that helped shape the current squad.
Kroenke admitted the celebrations after Arsenal lifted the Premier League trophy at Selhurst Park were especially emotional given the criticism the ownership group faced during previous years.
The American referenced the anger directed towards the owners during the failed European Super League project in 2021 and admitted there were moments when relations with supporters were at their lowest point.
He described walking the trophy onto the pitch alongside his father, Stan Kroenke, as one of the proudest moments of his life.
“To make that walk across the pitch with my father was something I’ll never forget,” Kroenke said.
Kroenke also explained how Arsenal’s rebuild required the club to “take a step back to go forward” after years of decline following the latter stages of Arsene Wenger’s reign.
The club eventually committed fully to Arteta’s long-term rebuild after taking complete ownership control in 2018.
Kroenke revealed that one of the biggest priorities during the early years of the project was changing the culture inside the dressing room.
“Mikel has different metaphors where he says people are either in the boat or out of the boat,” Kroenke explained. “Sometimes we had people underneath the water trying to pull us down.”
Arsenal subsequently moved aggressively in the transfer market, spending heavily on younger players capable of becoming the foundation of a new era at the club.
Kroenke highlighted the signing of William Saliba as one of the earliest key decisions after recommendations from former academy manager Per Mertesacker.
He also discussed the importance of bringing in Declan Rice from West Ham United in a British-record deal during the summer of 2023.
Kroenke admitted the size of the transfer initially raised concerns internally, but he quickly became convinced by Rice’s leadership qualities and mentality.
He insisted Arsenal’s owners are now fully invested emotionally and financially in helping the club compete consistently for the biggest honours.
Kroenke also confirmed keeping Arteta at the club remains one of Arsenal’s biggest priorities with the Spaniard entering the final year of his current contract.
“If there is one singular person you can trace this all back to, it is Mikel,” Kroenke said.
The Arsenal co-chair also revealed plans are already being discussed regarding possible future renovations to the Emirates Stadium as the club continue preparing for a new era after returning to the summit of English football.