So where do you find owners like FSG, but who are a bit riskier/willing to put in their own money to keep up with Manchester City and co? It’s definitely not easy to find. Any new owners open many questions, such as ticket prices, transportation interventions and many others. There should be concern. Personally, I would prefer FSG to continue to hold a majority stake by selling some shares, allowing for a cash injection that would allow Liverpool to compete financially with their state rivals. But that could be just as hard to find as an investor with a good human rights record who has £4bn at his disposal. Pep Lijnders: Liverpool owners ‘acting in best interests of club’ – video
Neil Atkinson, presenter and managing director of The Anfield Wrap
I don’t really care who owns Liverpool, as long as it’s not the state, they’re not fascists, they’re not attention-seeking weirdos, they don’t want someone to raise their profile to avoid political assassination, or they want to launder money, and they are an organization that wants to develop the club on and off the pitch, including the women’s side, and is committed to recruiting good people to work at all levels of the club and does not take club cash. Barring a significant hit on the women’s side, which is hopefully in the process of being corrected, FSG have generally managed to clear those low bars. Most Premier League owners have fallen foul somewhere along the line. It’s important to recognize that FSG didn’t screw you up, that they were involved in making Liverpool very competitive and when they got it wrong – which they did – they were quickly overturned when the opposite was forced. But who wants to put an owner or ownership of all things on a banner? Yak. Also stomach turning. So what’s next if not them? The percentage cry is someone who will further erode at least one of the above. The smart cry is to go back to the Crouch review and ask again for a much larger set of rules and regulations and, if necessary, legislation about who should own the huge cultural institutions that are our football clubs. Liverpool fans walk out during the Premier League visit of Sunderland in February 2016 over FSG’s proposal to introduce £77 tickets at Anfield. The decision was quickly overturned. Photo: Peter Powell/EPA On the surface, this could be an act of homage to the time when Liverpool’s then owner David Moores trod the waters for investors some 20 years ago, offering 10% of the club to the likes of Steve Morgan and Granada Television in exchange for bags of money. and few important words about the direction we would travel. Alternatively, we may be looking at the first step towards the end of FSG’s game at Anfield. That said, I’m not convinced that this is anything other than speculation given that they are in the middle of rebuilding the Anfield Road end. Who builds a new booth if they have a premeditated eye on the exit door? Either way, FSG has sent a clear message that it is happy to listen to interested parties. If they soon take their leave of the club, then no one could seriously argue that they would not leave us in a much healthier position than where they found us. They weren’t perfect though, and when they got it wrong it was often spectacular, yet they were willing to make reversals. Any potential new owner remains as speculative at this point as FSG leaving, but I wouldn’t want us to go the same way as Manchester City and Newcastle United. I would consider myself in a state of low level terror. 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.
Amar Singh, sports marketing expert
This week’s news has some Liverpool fans – especially the younger ones – dreaming of a state-owned sports washing consortium swooping in and signing Kylian Mbappé and giving us the power to match Manchester City. My message to these fans is simple: be careful what you wish for. For those of us who remember the state the club was in 12 years ago after the disastrous Hicks and Gillett ownership, FSG will come down as saviors. They were not perfect owners. Their role in the Super League debacle is a major blot on their book. But Liverpool have won every trophy during their tenure. In addition, they have invested heavily in Anfield, the new training ground in Kirkby and have helped the club grow its commercial income exponentially. FSG also made one of the most important decisions in Liverpool’s history – the hiring of Klopp. Liverpool have a deep history and fan base with a very clear set of shared values. If it were ever to be used as a tool to advance the agenda of a wretched state with values and laws that run counter to what the club stands for, many of us would be hard pressed to understand. So, if FSG sell, it is more important that the new owners do not use the club for geopolitical interests than to sign Mbappé. Jurgen Klopp (second right) at Liverpool’s trophy parade in May. The manager was hired by FSG. Photo: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC/Getty Images
Ian Salmon, playwright and author
I’m torn. I don’t want to see my club owned by a nation-state and used for influence in a way that doesn’t match my politics, nor do I want to become the latest hobby of an oligarch. and I don’t want any hint of creative accounting to tarnish our achievements. The reality, however, is that if you want to compete at the top of the Premier League, you need the unlimited funds of owners who are willing to invest heavily and often rather than work towards self-sufficiency. I’m not sure what a ‘good’ owner really is now: I don’t think there are any ethically free-spending billionaires for the love of the game, and I think we might be about to find that FSG was preferable to many alternatives. They are owners who have made big mistakes in a number of areas, but have reached a high level without being as problematic as we as a supporter base may see others. Some fans say this may be the time they can no longer support the club. I can’t see that as an option. My first game was five decades ago. it’s the club my grandparents supported. I can’t let it go.
