COMMENT: There you go Gooners. You have your catalyst. "Your catalyst for change" - as Ivan Gazidis described himself. But we're not talking about the Arsenal chief exec here...
It's Alisher Usmanov. That first £1 billion offer. And the next one down the line...
Usmanov will come again. Those close to the Uzbek billionaire are adamant. That opening offer, all £1 billion of it, was a floater. Can you believe that? A billion quid floater. But Usmanov's people actually value Arsenal at twice that amount - and he wanted to test the ground. Just to see if Kroenke could crack. And he did.
For those in the Usmanov camp, there is a chink of light. As much as Kroenke's advocates are peddling the line to media confidants that the American is "in it for the long haul", the opposite is the view inside Usmanov's camp. Contrary to press claims, Kroenke, we're told, didn't immediately reject the offer. How on earth could he? It was a billion quid! Of course it's going to make him think twice.
But the hesitation went further. The offer was left on the table for several days. An Usmanov source stated "something could realistically happen", before it was relayed that Kroenke wasn't doing business.
But there was a period of contemplation. And a very real chance - just a week ago - that we all could be scrambling to announce Arsenal were in the hands of a new majority stakeholder.
Usmanov will come again. Its unlikely it'll be £2 billion. But it'll definitely be an improvement on his previous bid. And it'll force Kroenke to think.
Which is what EVERY Arsenal supporter should be doing now that we know what price Silent Stan rates the club: £1 billion. At the very least.
Yet, they can't (or refuse to) put a team together to challenge for the game's biggest titles? If Arsenal fans really want change. If they really believe in the club's potential. Then they have to get behind Usmanov's bid. Ian Wright declared the takeover a "galvinising" force for the Arsenal support. You really hope he's right...
Wanda, the Chinese multinational, bought a 20 per cent stake in Atletico Madrid not long ago. The price? €45 million. We'll leave you to do the math. But five times Wanda's investment doesn't get close to Usmanov's valuation of Arsenal.
Yet, it's Atletico who reached two Champions League finals in three seasons. It was Atletico which again reached the final four this season. And it will be Atletico - not Arsenal - which will welcome Alexandre Lacazette from Lyon this summer.
It's all out in the open now, Gooners. Just what are you getting for your £2 billion? Certainly not Antoine Griezmann.
What? You missed that? It's not just Kroenke who's been exposed this week. Arsene Wenger also had, actually scrap that, should have had egg on his face with Griezmann's revelation about Arsenal's (typical) market dithering.
Now, let's not forget. It was Wenger this week who claimed he didn't need a director of football. That he was in charge. The hiring. The firing. The buck stops with him.
Okay then, let's have Griezmann pick up the story...
"During that summer (2013), one approach caught my attention. It emanated from Arsenal.
"I focused on this possibility and I dismissed the other potential proposals. To join the club directed for so many years by Arsène Wenger could attract me. I waited, waited and waited ... Finally, a few hours from the end of the transfer market, we were made to understand that Arsenal would not follow up. So there has never been an offer. I do not like to say one thing and not stand by it.
"Also, when more recently, Eric Olhats [his adviser] spoke to me about the interest of the London club, I replied: Forget it. With the blow they made us."
This is Antoine Griezmann. The €100 million man. The player who made the Ballon d'Or dias last year. Ahead of Neymar no less. And yes, he made this revelation on local radio this week. It was missed by the English press. But he said it.
Scandalous. Absolutely scandalous. Consider the weight of criticism leveled at Sir Alex Ferguson for allowing Paul Pogba to leave Manchester United for Juventus. Yet, not a peep from anyone on Wenger's failure not only to get this deal over the line, but by his behaviour to irrevocably damage the relationship between Arsenal and one of today's most exciting talents.
Again, is this deserving of a €2 billion club?
Usmanov doesn't see Arsenal as an investment asset. He's a fan. He wants to win things. He wants stars pulling on an Arsenal shirt.
"...the offer to buy out Mr Kroenke came from a desire to work co-operatively and strengthen the team," says another source from inside the Uzbek's camp.
He sees the potential. He knows where the money is going - and where it should be spent. And now, thanks to his bid, every Gooner knows the value of the club and how far back the reigns are being held by Kroenke and his board.
You have your catalyst, Gooners. With his £1 billion offer, Alisher Usmanov has put his neck on the line. If Arsenal fans really want change. They have to get behind the Uzbek.
