Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has expressed regret over his earlier decision not to purchase Premier League club Arsenal for $2 billion.
In a recent interview with Bloomberg TV in New York, the billionaire noted that the “time has passed” for acquiring Arsenal, which is now valued at approximately $4 billion.
Dangote had announced his intention to buy the North London club in 2020, following the completion of his refinery project.
As of September 2024, he ranks as the second-richest person in Africa, with an estimated net worth of $13.4 billion.
However, he stated that he no longer has the liquidity to justify spending $4 billion on Arsenal.
“I think that time has passed,” Dangote said. “The last time we had this interview, I told you that, yes, as soon as I finished with the refinery, I was going to try and buy Arsenal. But the issue is that everything has gone up. The clubs are all doing well, and Arsenal is doing extremely well now. At that time [when I wanted to buy], they were not doing very well.”
He emphasised that investing in his refinery project was the right decision at the time. “I regret not buying Arsenal before. But my money was needed to complete my projects rather than buying Arsenal. I would have bought it for $2 billion, but I wouldn’t have been able to finish my project.”
He, however, said he remained a devoted Arsenal supporter. “I’ll continue to be the biggest fan of Arsenal. I watch their games every time and will remain a major supporter, but I don’t think it makes sense today to buy Arsenal.”
Reflecting on his decision, Dangote added, “Actually, I regret not buying Arsenal before, but completing my project was the right move.”