Aliko Dangote is a big Arsenal fan. A huge Arsenal fan. In fact, he’s so fond of the club he wants to buy it. Well, it’s not just that he wants to buy it, he’s convinced he will do.
That’s the kind of confidence someone said to be worth around £10bn is able to have.
French newspaper Le Nouvel Économiste sent a journalist to Nigeria to speak to Dangote and, sitting on a yacht in Lagos harbour, it wasn’t long before he was getting Arsenal into the conversation.
After personally greeting the journalist, offering a drink, and taking his jacket to hang, Dangote offered lunch: “There are vegetable spring rolls, chicken wings with barbecue sauce, green Thai curry, a kind of seafood salad, noodles. You are my guest, so what do you want? Rice? Jasmine, natural, with egg?”
Once settled down, the big oil plans were shared: “When we finish this project, for the first time in history, Nigeria will be the largest exporter of petroleum products in Africa.”
It’s a huge business operation but this isn’t what will interest most Arsenal fans.
Le Nouvel Économiste explain that whilst Dangote is discreet about his business plans, he’s far more direct when it comes to football: “I love Arsenal and I will definitely buy it. I will intervene by giving my advice. When I buy it, I will adapt it to the expectations of our supporters.”
This isn’t for the immediate future, first there’s the business projects: “But when I’m done with those worries, I’ll tackle football.”
