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Tom Werner has broken the brief silence surrounding Fenway Sports Group’s impending sale of Liverpool by saying they are ‘exploring’ the sale of the club.
News broke earlier this month that the American owners wanted to end their 12-year ownership of Liverpool by selling their majority stake in the club.
Talking to the Boston sphereChairman Werner confirmed that they were exploring the possibility of a sale, but that there was “no urgency and no timeframe for it.”
“As far as I’m concerned, it’s business as usual. One outcome could be that we continue our stewardship for some time to come.’
Meanwhile, Sam Kennedy, president of the Red Sox baseball franchise and FSG partner added, “There has been a lot of interest from numerous potential partners considering an investment in the club.
“It is still early days in terms of exploring options for potential investment in Liverpool. Large companies grow by adding value to their business.
Fenway Sports Group (owners John W Henry, second from left, and Tom Werner, second from right) have said they are looking into the sale of Liverpool Football Club
It has been suggested that the collapse of the Super League project is part of the reason they want to sell the club
One way to increase that value from time to time is to sell assets or add investors. Does this mean FSG will sell Liverpool? I don’t know.
‘To be [principal owner] The task of John Henry, Tom Werner and Mike Gordon to lead the Fenway Sports Group in a responsible manner and they felt that now was an ideal time to explore potential investment opportunities in the club.”
Such statements leave the door ajar for a number of outcomes for Liverpool, with it being suggested they could try to sell the club or seek further investment.
Earlier this month, it was revealed by the Mail on Sunday that Liverpool were in talks with a US-based buyer over selling the club for a net worth of £2.7 billion.
Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley were hired after the rapprochement with the Liverpool owners, the Mail on Sunday revealed, delighted with the offer as it still represents a huge profit on the price they initially paid in 2010.
LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and Boston Celtics owner Steve Pagliuca have been linked. The Ricketts family, who pulled out of the bid for Chelsea at the last minute, would not be interested in Liverpool.
Reports in the Middle East suggested that Dubai International Capital “could be eyeing” a deal to buy the club.
Liverpool were initially put up for sale at the beginning of the month, but Werner’s statement has brought clarity to the situation
Sources have reported that more potential buyers have since expressed their interest.
“There have been a number of recent ownership changes and rumored ownership changes at Premier League clubs and it is inevitable that we will be regularly asked about Fenway Sports Group’s ownership in Liverpool,” said a statement from the FSG on November 8.
FSG has regularly received expressions of interest from third parties wishing to become shareholders in Liverpool.
“FSG has previously said that under the right conditions we would consider new shareholders if it was in the interest of Liverpool as a club.”
Since taking on Jurgen Klopp (second from left), FSG have enjoyed incredible success at Liverpool
It was reported that an information memorandum was sent to potential buyers in October – effectively a sales document – opening up the asset to potential bidders.
FSG bought Liverpool for £300 million from Tom Hicks and George Gillett and has made the Merseyside club one of the most important football institutions in the world again, ending the club’s 30-year wait for a league title and winning their sixth Champions League and also reaching two more finals.
Their success in charge of Liverpool since buying the club in October 2010 has seen their value skyrocket, with Forbes valuing them at £3.6 billion in May. Chelsea sold for £4.45bn not long after, while Liverpool’s owners were able to acquire more than that – although £1.75bn of that was for future investment.
Sam Kennedy, Red Box’s CEO and FSG partner, explained that value can be added by selling assets or adding investors
RedBird Capital Partners, a private investment firm, owns a 10 per cent stake in FSG last year after buying it for £533 million.
The sale of Chelsea, unlike Liverpool, had to be urgent as Roman Abramovich was sanctioned and the club was increasingly unable to carry out day-to-day tasks such as selling home tickets.
It is believed that the failed attempt to join the European Super League is the reason for their newfound willingness to sell the club.
Liverpool were part of a cabal of major European clubs that announced in April 2021 that they intended to break away from UEFA to form their own continental league. However, the plan was thwarted within days, not least because supporters of the English clubs involved staged protests outside their respective stadiums.
It is believed that if sold, the club will go for more than what Todd Boehly paid for Chelsea
Henry is a businessman and like all successful business people, he wanted certainty about the revenue streams, namely the wealth of the UEFA Champions League.
A Super League would have brought unparalleled riches at the expense of real competition and given that Liverpool look far from certain of a top four finish this season, it probably only adds to his frustration at the ESL’s demise.
Fan groups were furious with him, and he eventually apologized on camera to suggest he was wrong.
“I would like to apologize to all Liverpool Football Club fans and supporters for the disruption I have caused over the last 48 hours,” he said.
As of May 2022, Forbes valued Liverpool at $4.45 billion as one of England’s biggest teams
“It goes without saying, but it must be said that the proposed project would never survive without the support of the fans. No one ever thought otherwise in England.
“During these 48 hours you were very clear that it wasn’t going to last. We heard you. I heard you.’
FSG was founded in 2001 and has since achieved notable success in baseball and football, utilizing what has come to be known as the ‘Moneyball’ strategy of recruiting and building teams.