Speculation surrounding the ownership status of Liverpool FC by Fenway Sports Group remains unclear as the American-led conglomerate has announced its desire to put the club up for sale.
With several buyers now expressing interest in buying the club, many Reds fans remain unsure about the various credentials and desires of any investment group actively involved.
After buying the Merseyside giants in 2010, Fenway Sports Group (FSG) has had several years of success on the pitch.
The club won its first league title since 1990, a sixth UEFA Champions League crown, an eighth FA Cup trophy, two League Cups and a FIFA Club World Cup title.
Now that the club maintains its image as one of the most valuable sports teams on the planet, the FSG has confirmed its desire to sell its shares in the club to any enthusiastic investors.
There have been similar success stories with American ownership of other teams in the soccer pyramid, with National League side Wrexham emerging as a potential contender to return to league soccer and the club also gaining significant notoriety and attention. .
This unexpected acquisition of the club has resulted in increased marketing exposure and several different branding deals, such as the commercialism of playing poker games. Additionally, various other partnerships have also gained traction on social networking sites such as TikTok, which have helped enhance the club’s overall potential to gain a large following online.
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Liverpool’s current ownership is now solely up for grabs for any notable investor leaving many wondering which of the linked groups is most likely to take over to become majority owners of the club.
One of the first groups to be linked to the possible role of ownership of the club is that of baseball enthusiasts, the Ricketts family.
Like FSG’s current occupations, the Ricketts family are currently the active owners of the Chicago Cubs Major League Baseball franchise in the United States.
The family has previously been linked to the vacant former ownership position at Premier League rival Chelsea, as well as being in the discussion over ownership of Tottenham Hotspur.
With Reds fans wanting to see an improvement in the club’s investment, the Ricketts family is bound to spend a lot of money as they are worth an estimated over $4.5 billion.
Other teams around Liverpool that have recently taken over have enjoyed a much-needed amount of reinvestment to help stabilize their chances of making the top six or challenging for the title.
The likes of Manchester City, Newcastle United, Chelsea and Manchester United are likely to spend big in upcoming transfer windows, which means Liverpool’s newer owners need to make sure they provide manager Jurgen Klopp with a much-needed recruit to improve in a aging team. of players
Sports and entertainment Harris Blitzer:
From one major sports investment group to another, sports group Harris Blitzer has become a hot candidate to buy the club due to its links to FSG founding investor John W. Henry.
The firm has an 18% stake in Premier League club Crystal Palace and the group has a combined £7bn.
In addition to their stake in Selhurst Park, this group also owns the Philadelphia 76ers NBA franchise, making them a suitable candidate for the ownership position at Liverpool FC.
There are currently no offers on the table or expected to be made anytime soon, however there is certainly growing interest from HBSE to purchase the Merseyside club, especially now that the aforementioned Henry has put the club up for grabs. sale.
Qatar Sports Investments:
One candidate whose name may sound familiar to some Liverpool fans is the identity of Paris Saint-Germain’s owners, Qatar Sports Investments.
Since buying out the French giants in 2011, this group has continuously spent large sums of money on various star names, including the infamous world record transfer fee for Neymar Jr in 2017.
The Qatar-based sports group has noted interest in ownership positions in both Liverpool and bitter rivals Manchester United, but it seems unlikely that they will see any sort of future investment plans at either club.
At this current time, the group has no long-term plans to sell its shareholding in psg and they are likely to prefer to continue investing in their current team rather than buy any stake in Liverpool or Manchester United.
There would undoubtedly be a much greater influx of transfer funds and activity for Liverpool if this group were eager to buy a stake in the club, but it seems unlikely that any movement from either party would be expected at this current juncture.
The Empire of the Kop Podcast #Ep69 (Special Edition): Debating FSG with Red Sox and Pittsburgh Penguins fans
