Covid era gave Arteta space to revive Arsenal, says Kroenke

Arsenal co-chair Josh Kroenke says behind-closed-doors football during the Covid-19 pandemic allowed manager Mikel Arteta "space" to help revive the "sleeping giant".

The Kroenke Sports and Entertainment (KSE) group took full control of Arsenal in 2018 but it has not always been easy, with fan protests at how the club was being run taking place during their tenure.

The Kroenkes hired Arteta in 2019, giving the former Arsenal player his first senior managerial role after a period of uncertainty at the club.

It took time for that vision to take hold with two eighth-placed finishes, despite a 2020 FA Cup win, leading to some questioning whether Arteta was the right man for the job.

But now the Spaniard has transformed the club after six-and-a-half years in charge and has led the Gunners to their first Premier League title in 22 years.

And in a wide-ranging interview, Kroenke talked about:

Giving a manager their first senior job in football is always a risk, but Kroenke says Arteta's character made it clear that he was the right candidate to succeed Unai Emery in December 2019.

"Anybody that gets a chance to be around Mikel, you can buy into what he's selling pretty easily," Kroenke said.

"So I don't want to give myself or my father [Stan Kroenke, founder and chairman of KSE and co-chair of Arsenal] any credit.

"I think Mikel and his staff and our players are the ones that earned those rights to have the patience in those moments by the amount of work and energy they were putting in behind the scenes."

Arteta won the 2020 FA Cup but finished eighth in a league affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, which meant games were played behind closed doors.

"I don't know if I would ever acknowledge it, or Mikel or anybody - there was something about Mikel having a little bit of what I would say 'space' during Covid when there weren't fans around." Kroenke said.

"There were some growing pains that went on during matches, different moments, and obviously we won the FA Cup, but to not have that extra pressure of fans being on top of you at different points in time when we were going through different growth phases was probably something I don't think any of us would acknowledge in the moment.

"But, looking back I think we can say 'maybe that was a little bit of a benefit'."

It has not always been an easy transition for the Kroenkes, who took full ownership of the club in 2018 after being shareholders since 2007.

There was a "We Care, Do You?" movement from supporters who called into question the owners' commitment to the club.

"There was a lot of heavy lifting going on behind the scenes at the club at that point in time," Kroenke said.

"We went through a big transition from Arsene [Wenger], obviously a legendary person and manager.

"Transitioning to a new era after 22 years was going to be difficult.

"One: it was taking the club private that summer.

"Two: You had a legendary manager moving along, us trying to reinvent ourselves.

"Third: An underestimated thing for me on the back end was [chief executive] Ivan Gazidis' departure.

"For a club of our stature, change is going to be healthy but that was way too much change in way too short of a period of time."

In the early period of running the club, Arsenal found themselves - in Kroenke's own words - "straddling strategies" as they chased Champions League qualification and trophies.

Kroenke flew to Baku and saw Arsenal lose 4-0 to Chelsea in the 2019 Europa League final which was the moment when he says he and his father had to "accept" where the club was after watching the "worst 45 minutes of the season".

"Seeing that happen was the first time where I came back from that trip and I told my dad that I think we need to really embrace where we are," Kroenke said.

"Now that we have 100% of the club, we might need to take a step back to go forward at some point."

But, in that low moment, one of the bright lights of Arsenal's next generation emerged in a conversation with soon to be departing academy manager, and former player, Per Mertesacker.

"After the final in Baku, I made a comment about Virgil van Dijk, who had arrived at Liverpool a year or two before," Kroenke said.

"I said 'how do we get one of these guys into our system'. [Mertesacker replied] 'Well unless you've got 100 million quid, you better not be thinking about him'.

"I said 'who's the best young defender in Europe?'. He turned without hesitation and said 'William Saliba'."

Saliba joined Arsenal aged 18 in July 2019 for £27m from Saint-Etienne, going on to become a key member of their title-winning side.

Kroenke spends a lot of time flying to and from the United States, which can mean some early rises to watch the Gunners play.

"If there's any way they could do away with the 12.30, 12.45 kick-off… the 4am wake-up is not fun in the United States." Kroenke joked.

"There were some big highs and some tough ones as well. That's when you wish you were with someone else, at least to talk to."

Another big moment Kroenke experienced in the US was the season-defining video assistant referee (VAR) decision that saw West Ham's late goal ruled out, three games from the end of the season, as Arsenal moved closer to the title.

"I was on my hands and knees in my living room. It was a moment where I think every Arsenal supporter worldwide held their breath," said Kroenke.

After Arsenal's first league title for more than two decades was confirmed, tens of thousands of supporters rushed to Emirates Stadium to celebrate.

"I knew we were a sleeping giant that we needed to awaken in some way." Kroenke said.

"We haven't had a team, a squad like this in the social media age. Social media evolved and the Twittersphere and everything else around it.

"The instantaneous information, the 'Banter Era' - I'm aware of all this. I turned 46 last week.

"I've grown up around this and I've seen it all from my own perspective. I think that's what I'm so proud to see. There was almost a time when you were a closeted Arsenal fan."

But this success does not mean the end of the journey for Kroenke and his vision for the club, with the Gunners playing Paris-St Germain in the Champions League final on Saturday.

"I think I can think back and say that our stated goal was winning the Premier League, because if you can put yourself in contention for the Premier League, you're in contention for everything else." Kroenke said.

"Should we get a great result on Saturday, it's not going to change or affect who we are. When you win something, the sun's still going to come up the next day.

"You've got to get back to work and there are many teams trying to gain on you, including some historically great ones around the Premier League.

"So, we're going to look to strengthen because we know that teams around us are going to get better. If you're not trying to continually evolve and improve, you're standing still."