Manchester United’s decision to put themselves up for sale dealt a “kick in the teeth” to FSG’s hopes of selling Liverpool FC.
According to journalist Matt Slater, that is. Speaking to The Athletic Football Podcast today, Slater listed a number of factors that have made it difficult for FSG to attract significant interest in Liverpool FC.
“For whatever reason it hasn’t worked out. I think because of that high valuation for Chelsea, the fact that the economy, we’re one year further on and it’s not looking great, the fact that Liverpool FC have some challenges around re-tooling,” the journalist explained.
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“I think some American sports investors who have the ability to pay that big price are thinking ‘super league appears to be off the table for a while, project restart [Project Big Picture] which was Fenway Sports Group’s thing didn’t go anywhere.’ So, I think there’s a few factors here that have created this… the timing’s wrong.”
“And then the last factor of the timing being wrong, what did Man United do a few weeks later? They massively stole the thunder and the light and sucked the air out of the room. Man United going on the market a few weeks later was just a kick in the teeth.”
“So that’s where this whole process is. That’s not to say people don’t like Liverpool FC. It’s not to say people aren’t interested, it’s not to say the bankers involved are not taking calls and I’m sure there’d be umpteen people who’d take a minority stake at the right price. But there hasn’t been someone come along and says ‘yes, here’s four billion, three-and-a-half billion, five billion, whatever you think it is you need, we’re having it.’”
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Liverpool FC need to be patient
Imagine the scenario in the FSG boardroom when the Glazers announced they were selling United in November. John Henry and his colleagues must have been furious just a few weeks after they had filtered similar news out of Anfield.
Well, perhaps not in actuality. Despite their rivalry as a team on the field, FSG and the Glazers seem to get along well. After all, it was Liverpool FC and United who attempted to pull off the controversial “Project Big Picture” in 2020.
Given their close relationships, it is reasonable to infer that FSG were informed of their countrymen’s ambitions for the East Lancs Road.
They may have anticipated a small amount of difficulty in selling the club as a result. Unfortunately, United continue to hold a tiny advantage in terms of mass appeal. Their attraction may have merely dulled Liverpool FC lustre a little.
But FSG won’t lose its cool. You can sure that they would have given their escape strategy the most careful consideration if they had decided that now was the time to begin planning it. They probably were aware of the Glazers’ plans and how they would effect interest in their own asset.
So while it may have been a slight setback to their own goals, they were never going to rush anything. The FSG way isn’t like that. They will need to be patient, as will everyone associated with the club they control, according to what Slater says.
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