Russian businessman Alisher Usmanov has signaled his ongoing commitment to Arsenal despite Stan Kroenke's takeover by spending $1.5 million on new shares.
Usmanov owns more than 29 percent of the English Premier League club and is nudging closer to the 30 percent mark that will give him access to management accounts despite not being a director.
Usmanov has spent 952,000 pounds ($1.5 million) on buying 64 shares from a single person this week through investment vehicle Red & White Holdings, which is jointly controlled with business associate Farhad Moshiri.
American sports tycoon Kroenke took control of Arsenal in May after raising his stake to 66.64 percent by mostly buying shares from fellow directors this year.
Kroenke also owns the NFL's St. Louis Rams, the NBA's Denver Nuggets, the NHL's Colorado Avalanche and Major League Soccer's Colorado Rapids.
Usmanov has never been invited onto the Arsenal board despite being the club's second-biggest shareholder since first investing in 2007.
He has been critical of the lack of investment in the team, which ended a sixth successive season in May without a trophy.
