I Regret Not Purchasing Arsenal, Aliko Dangote Says

Aliko Dangote, Chairman of Dangote Group, has expressed regret over his decision not to acquire Premier League club, Arsenal for $2bn.

In an interview on Bloomberg TV in New York, the billionaire acknowledged that the “time has passed” for him to buy Arsenal, saying that the club is now valued at approximately $4bn.

In 2020, Dangote announced his intention to acquire the North London club after completing his refinery project.

As of September 2024, Dangote is the second-richest person in Africa, with an estimated net worth of $13.4 billion.

He, however, explained that he no longer has the liquidity to justify spending $4bn 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 emphasized 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.”