Major US change could see Arsenal follow Man City and Chelsea into multi-club model
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Credit: Imago, Getty
Oliver Walton
Thu 4 September 2025 11:22, UK
Arsenal’s ownership could soon follow in the footsteps of both Chelsea and Man City if a huge change happens in football in the USA.
Numerous ownership groups at the highest level operate with a multi-club model now, in which they part-own a number of different sides and work in tandem with them to try to benefit all parties.
Chelsea are a great recent example, with owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital also overseeing French side Strasbourg, while Man City are part of City Football Group, who have a whole network of clubs across the world working under their watch.
Arsenal have not yet followed such a path, despite Stan Kroenke owning MLS side Colorado Rapids, as well as the Gunners, through his company Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE).
Mikel Arteta admitted in January that he wants Arsenal to explore using a multi-club group due to the advantage it hands to other top teams like Chelsea and City, and they could well do so soon if one major change is implemented overseas.
Credit: Hasan Karim, Breaking Media
Following Arteta’s comments, football finance expert Stefan Borson told Football Insider that it would take a long time for a multi-club model to benefit Arsenal, with the reality being that no teams have really made it work as yet.
The Athletic (4 September) have now reported, however, that KSE are continuing to give consideration to expanding into a multi-club model with Arsenal and Colorado.
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According to the report, if Major League Soccer (MLS) decide to shift their footballing calendar from between February to December to between August to May, taking it in line with Europe, there may be scope for further collaboration between Arsenal and Colorado Rapids, as well as the possibility of buying other clubs and starting that model.
(Credit Imago)
Football Insider verdict
While it must be tempting for Arsenal’s owners to want to set up a multi-club model with the Gunners at the forefront of their plans, fans should be wary that such a move would not simply make the club a success overnight.
For one, the MLS have previously announced that the league will only explore a switch to its schedule that would align with the international football calendar as early as 2027 [ESPN], after the World Cup, so it is not as if any changes are imminent.
As well as that, while Chelsea’s multi-club model with Strasbourg has helped them raise over £300m in sales throughout the recent summer window, it is not exactly made them a huge success on the pitch so far.
ClubsSpentRecievedNet SpendChelsea£285,000,000£288,000,000-£3,000,000Man City£152,000,000£53,000,000£99,000,000Arsenal£255,000,000£9,000,000£246,000,000Arsenal’s summer spending compared to Chelsea and Man City
Man City have been a top side over the last few years, but once again, how much of that success can be attributed to their links to Girona, Palermo or New York City is unclear, with Savinho the only real first-team star that has progressed from one of their sister clubs to Pep Guardiola‘s first-team.
Arsenal have been similarly impressive in recent seasons, but their lack of trophies should not push the owners into making drastic changes to their model, especially considering they look as strong as ever right now to challenge City and Liverpool for the Premier League title.