Arsenal Owner Stan Kroenke Sets Ambitious Long-Term Trophy Target for Unai Emery

Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke has set manager Unai Emery the long-term target of winning the Champions League, although he accepts qualifying for Europe’s elite competition will be difficult this season.

In Arsene Wenger’s final season in charge of the Gunners, they finished a disappointing sixth in the Premier League and will be looking to improve upon that performance this season.

And despite losing their first two games of the Premier League season, they have shown signs of progression under their new manager - picking up their first three points last weekend with a comfortable 3-1 win victory over West Ham.

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Emery has been tasked with getting the club back into the Champions League but according to the Mail on Sunday, Kroenke believes that the goal is ultimately winning the competition for what would be the first time in the clubs' history.

The Gunners came close to winning the Champions League twelve years ago, reaching the final before losing out to Barcelona 2-1 - despite taking the lead.

Last month Kroenke made a move to take full control of Arsenal after making an offer to buy out Alisher Usmanov’s 30.4 per cent stake of the club – a move which many fans remain sceptical about. Kroenke’s plans to take the club private will result in the eradication of an Annual General meeting which gives supporters a say on major decisions.

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Groups like the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust will no longer be able to hold the club to account for controversial decisions although the board believes this could signal a new era of success for the Gunners.

In the long-term, Kroenke’s impending full takeover of the club would see the club ‘competing consistently to win the Premier League and Champions League’ according to formal documentation accompanying his desire to complete a full buyout.