On Monday, the Boston-based firm said Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley had been instructed to attract new investment. Lijnders, speaking ahead of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup clash with Derby, sees the move as positive. “I always know the owners act in the best interests of the club and they always have,” he said. “I think they always at least tried. This relationship was very important to us [him and Klopp]. Everyone who has seen us over the last few years, who has realized who we are as a club, has realized that we have a strong relationship with the owners. They are good owners and I will explain a few reasons. “First one, [in April] they tied one of the best managers in the world for more than seven years. That says a lot. Second, they tied the best players to the team. The difference between the top European or world clubs and the bottom ones is that the latter have to sell their best players. We tied – [for example] Mo Salah’s contract. “And then, what’s even more important, we have a solid academy. They invested in the academy, they invested in where we sit now – it’s one of the best training grounds in world football and it’s our new home. Then the main stand [at Anfield and] the new kiosk. We won many cups: international and national prizes. They are acting in the best interest of this club to take it further.” Linders insisted the focus remains. “The statement was very clear,” he said. “How is it distracting us? That’s what I love about our club. We are so focused. There was a little discussion between Jurgen and I, but from that moment we started to focus [on] a big game is coming.” Start your evenings with the Guardian’s view of the world of football Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Lijnders was asked if he understood that new investors were being sought, not new owners. “The statement was clear,” he said. “It’s nothing new for a club to try to find investors. They are trying to take the club forward. We knew beforehand [the statement was released], of course. We knew about the statement, but nothing more than you [reporters] He knew.” When Lijnders and Klopp signed their news deals, it was understood that FSG would remain owners for the foreseeable future. “Of course, but we are not naive to believe that things [can’t] change in football,” he said.
