Liverpool FC's owners discuss selling the club

The American owners of Liverpool FC have said that the club is open for investors to buy, just 12 years after buying the club themselves.

Photo: liverpool.com

By: Sam Feierabend.

The Fenway Sports Group (FSG), who also own baseball team The Boston Red Sox, bought Liverpool in 2010 and have overseen an upturn in the club’s fortunes. Since the appointment of Jurgen Klopp as manager in 2015, the club has become regular challengers for silverware, winning the Premier League in 2019/2020 and The Champions League in 2019.

FSG announced on 7 November that they would consider new shareholders if it was in the best interests of Liverpool as a club. They have however, reiterated the fact that in the meantime, the group remains committed to the club both on and off the field until a suitable buyer comes forward.

The group have invested heavily in the club, mainly in the redevelopment of their famous Anfield stadium with £190m being spent on new stands. They have taken the capacity of the ground up to 61,000 making it the fourth largest club stadium in England.

However, the growing threat of state owned football clubs may be a factor in the owners looking to sell the club. Their main league rivals Manchester City are funded by Abu Dhabi, while Newcastle United have just been taken over by a group funded by the Saudi Arabian government. Both these clubs have exercised large scale spending in the transfer market to improve their squads. This is something the American businessmen cannot compete with if Liverpool are to sustainably compete financially.

The team are already struggling on the pitch, with the side currently eighth in the Premier League and failing to top their Champions League group. The statement released could be a means to test the waters of the ownership market to see who would be interested.

Fans of the club have had mixed responses to the news. Some saw this as a positive in a disappointing season so far, while others are sceptical of the future, urging the club to stay true to its values and stay away from oil money.