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Fenway Sports Group (FSG) has put Liverpool up for sale.
In a dramatic shift for the American owners, who have owned the club since 2010, they are now inviting offers for the Merseyside club and a full sales presentation has been prepared for bidders.
FSG have called the shots at Anfield since October 2010 when they purchased the team from George Gillett and Tom Hicks but it is now said they are ‘inviting offers’.
Investment banking giants Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley have reportedly been recruited to help with the process.
As of May 2022, Forbes valued Liverpool at $4.45billion (£3.89bn) – but with Chelsea having been sold to LA Dodgers’ owner Todd Boehly for £4.25bn earlier this year, the Merseyside giants would likely demand a matching price.
In a statement given to the Athletic, FSG said that ‘under the right terms and conditions’ they would be open to selling the club.
‘FSG has frequently received expressions of interest from third parties seeking to become shareholders in Liverpool,’ FSG wrote.
‘FSG has said before that under the right terms and conditions we would consider new shareholders if it was in the best interests of Liverpool as a club.’
Fenway Sports Group (owners John W Henry, second left, and Tom Werner, second from right) have announced they are ‘inviting offers’ to sell Liverpool in a dramatic ownership update
As of May 2022, Forbes valued Liverpool at $4.45billion as one of England’s biggest teams
FSG have overseen an incredible amount of success at Liverpool, particularly since the hiring of manager Jurgen Klopp in 2015.
The German coach delivered a Premier League title as well as the Champions League, the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup.
FSG, who also own the baseball franchise Boston Red Sox, television network NESN, 50 per cent of Roush Fenway Racing and Fenway Sports Management, is led by John W Henry.
In 2021 FSG sold an 11 per cent stake in the company for $750m (£655m) to RedBird Capital Partners – a move which saw them reinvest that money to take a controlling stake in NHL ice hockey team Pittsburgh Penguins.
It has not been all plain sailing for FSG with regards to their relationship with Liverpool’s fans.
The group drew criticism in 2019 when they attempted to trademark the name Liverpool.
Supporters’ group Spirit of Shankly strongly opposed the bid and successfully lobbied against the move.
Henry also publicly addressed fans last year to apologise for Liverpool’s part in a foiled European Super League breakaway.
‘I want to apologise to all the fans and supporters of Liverpool Football Club for the disruption I caused over the past 48 hours,’ he said.
‘It goes without saying but should be said that the project put forward was never going to stand without the support of the fans. No-one ever thought differently in England.
‘Over these 48 hours you were very clear that it would not stand. We heard you. I heard you.’
Henry and wife Linda celebrating Liverpool’s Champions League triumph back in 2019
A year earlier, amid the global coronavirus pandemic, FSG were heavily criticised for deciding to furlough their non-playing staff.
It forced a quick u-turn from the owners.
Liverpool turned over £533million in that financial year and made a profit of £42million – and yet they chose to take up the government scheme where staff received 20 per cent less pay.
Ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher labelled it a ‘big mistake’ at the time and was backed up by then-chief executive Peter Moore.
Four of the Premier League’s ‘Big Six’ – Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United – are owned by Americans and FSG’s bombshell statement comes as major news.
Nine clubs in the Premier League are totally, or partially, owned by Americans following a US-ownership boom in the last two decades.
There is a growing resentment towards FSG among pockets of Liverpool’s support with the team in desperate need of an overhaul following years of sustained success.
FSG’s biggest stride off the pitch has been the redevelopment of Anfield.
The Main Stand was transformed in a £110m move while work is being done on the Anfield Road stand to the tune of £80m.
Both of those works will lift Anfield’s capacity to near 61,000, making it 16,000 greater than when they bought the club from Gillett and Hicks 12 years ago.
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