Football economist Stefan Szymanski has claimed Fenway Sports Group are looking to sell Liverpool due to the incredible returns on their ‘bargain’ investment.
That’s what the Stephen J. Galetti Professor of Sport Management at the University of Michigan told the Liverpool Echo in a recent interview.
“I think there are a number of reasons why it would make sense for John Henry to get out at this stage. Bear in mind that when he got into this in the first place he knew next to nothing about football, he was not an expert, he is a baseball guy,” Szymanski said.
“In retrospect he got it for £300m thanks to Tom Hicks and George Gillett screwing up, if they hadn’t then it would have sold for closer to £1bn than £300m. That is a big part of all this, he got a bargain.
“The other thing to remember about this is that John Henry isn’t a sports guy, he is a trader, he made his money in commodities trading, and commodities trading is all about buy cheap, sell high. He bought cheap and looking at it now, he might think that it looks quite high.”
FSG bought low, now selling high
In recent years, FSG have come under scrutiny for their lack of investment into Jurgen Klopp’s squad.
When the Reds were going through an injury crisis at centre-back, the likes of Ben Davies and Ozan Kabak were eventually brought in to fill the void.
Although Kabak made regular appearances in a Reds shirt, both players failed to make a mark on Merseyside.
Luckily for Klopp, youngsters Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams stepped up to the plate, and the club were able to avoid disappointment with a third-place finish in the Premier League.
However, parallels to this situation have been shown at times this year.
Liverpool have struggled with injuries in the middle of the park, and the likes of James Milner and an out-of-form Jordan Henderson have been playing far more often than they really should have been.
Furthermore, it has also caused an over-reliance on various youngsters. Both Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho have played big roles in the side this season, without much time for rest. Ultimately, without easing them in, this could harm their development.
With FSG once again failing to permanently sign quality additions in the midfield, the Reds’ squad issues have been evident to see this season.
When analysing Szymanski’s point, it is probably fair to assume the club owners have never been too enamoured with the ongoings at Liverpool.
Therefore, if the club is purely seen as a cash investment, this may well be the right time to sell for FSG.
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox
