Report: What John Henry has been saying about Liverpool in private, prior to putting the club up for sale

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Behind the scenes, Liverpool co-owner John W. Henry has been privately talking about ‘monetising the asset’ long before he put the club up for sale.

That’s what reported in The Athletic, who claim Fenway Sports Group have always had the long-term intention of selling after prolonged success on and off the pitch.

The report claims FSG have never had plans to take money out of the club. Instead, having bought the Reds for £300m back in 2010, if the American owners could run operations smoothly, they knew they would be in for a big payday upon their exit.

As a result, Henry has been privately speaking for years about ‘monetising’ Liverpool before selling his ownership stake later on, with Forbes’ £3.6billion valuation from May deemed the right time to depart by the Boston Red Sox faithful.

What Henry has been saying about Liverpool

In recent seasons, Reds fans have been somewhat critical of FSG for their lack of investment into Jurgen Klopp’s squad.

When Liverpool went through an injury crisis at centre-back, the Merseyside outfit’s lack of spending on a proper first-team defender saw Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams end the campaign as the side’s defensive duo.

With similarities arising with the Anfield midfield in this year, supporters were desperate for FSG to sign a couple of players during the summer window.

After refusing to spend money due to their contentedness with the options already at the club, Liverpool only dipped into the transfer market on deadline day, bringing in Arthur Melo on a season-long loan after injuries had plagued Klopp’s squad.

However, this was poor planning by the recruitment team. Not only did the Reds need to improve their depth in the middle of the park, they needed to upgrade on the quality they had in the first XI. This certainly derived from the lack of funds available.

With continued claims surrounding a move for Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham, it was never FSG’s intention to keep spending. By delaying a swoop for the 19-year-old, the club owners have always had their future profits in mind, and its clear to see now as the side require heavy investment.