The future is unclear for Liverpool after the club’s owners said they would “think about new shareholders.” In response to rumors that the club is up for sale.
The Athletic said that Fenway Sports Group (FSG), Liverpool owners since 2010, is “open to offers” for the club.
Here, we look at the history of a possible sale of one of the biggest football clubs globally. Initial valuation puts Liverpool’s worth at £4bn.
How successful has Liverpool FC been under FSG?
The American company, which also owns the Boston Red Sox baseball team. It said it “remains fully committed to Liverpool’s success on and off the pitch.”
In the 12 years since they took over at Anfield, they have won eight trophies, with six coming under Jurgen Klopp.
FSG hired Jurgen Klopp as manager in 2015. He helped change the club’s atmosphere and led them to their first league title in 30 years and the Champions League trophy.
Liverpool has brought in players like Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker, who, at the time were the most expensive defender and goalkeepers in the world. They have also turned “cheap” players like Mohamed Salah into world-class players.
Most of the £300m were used to pay off the debts George Gillett and Tom Hicks had racked up with the banks. By the end of the 2017-18 financial year, the club had made a record $106m after taxes.
The owners decided to stay at Anfield instead of building a new stadium in Stanley Park. Instead, they gave a £115 million loanto develop the Main Stand, which was finished in September 2016 and increased the number of seats to 54,000.
The Anfield Road end is getting a makeover that will add 7,000 seats by next summer. They also built a new training ground worth
They also built a new training ground that cost £50 million.
What’s gone wrong?
There have been winning on the field, but there have also been problems.
A plan to raise ticket prices in 2016 and a plan to put non-playing staff on the government’s furlough plan during the Covid-19 lockdown made people angry and caused people to change their minds.
The Intellectual Property Office didn’t let someone use the word “Liverpool” as a trademark.
Liverpool’s involvement in the failed European Super League is another reason why the club fell out of favor.
Liverpool came in second place in the Premier League last year, but they are now eighth in the table.
It’s getting harder and harder for clubs to compete financially with teams like Paris St. Germain (Qatar), Manchester City (Abu Dhabi), and Newcastle (United Kingdom) (Saudi Arabia)
Why would they try to sell now?
It means that some of their uncertain interest over the last two or three years has led them to test the market. Is someone ready to take over now?
Over 200 people tried to buy Chelsea, which was a troubled asset. But FSG knew that Liverpool is a huge brand. Therefore, they would be looking to get a significant return on the initial £300 million.
FSG has done a great job of building Liverpool’s brand and putting the “Moneyball” idea into place for recruiting and keeping players. Because of this, Liverpool has been successful over the last seven or eight years. While spending half a billion dollars less than Manchester City, Manchester United, and Chelsea.
Supporters will be concerned about whether any new owners can keep up the FSG model.
The club is linked to large and significant banks.
