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LIVERPOOL. — Liverpool owner John Henry says he is not selling the English Premier League football club, but does expect some investment.
Henry, the principal figure in Liverpool’s owners Fenway Sports Group, barely speaks publicly these days and his visits to Merseyside are few and far between. He has not been on record since stories last autumn about their desire to step away.
But the 73-year-old, in an interview with the Boston Sports Journal primarily about the Boston Red Sox baseball team, he made what many will regard to be a shock declaration that the situation is not as straightforward as it had seemed to be.
It was a huge issue last autumn when it was revealed that FSG, who have been in charge at Anfield since October 2010, would be open to a lock, stock and barrel sale. There were never any denials that was the case.
There has been speculation in the ensuing four months of interest from the Middle East but Henry stated that FSG’s commitment has not been diluted.
The ambition, he stressed, was to find a third party who could add to their investment. This is something Jürgen Klopp said he understood to be the case when the story of a possible sale first emerged.
Henry’s Fenway Sports Group (FSG), which bought Liverpool in 2010, said in November it “would consider new shareholders” in the Reds.
FSG chairman Tom Werner later said the club’s owners were “exploring a sale” but could continue their “stewardship for quite a while”.
“Are we selling LFC? No,” Henry told the Boston Sports Journal.
“Are we talking with investors about LFC? Yes. Will something happen there? I believe so, but it won’t be a sale.”
The American was speaking in a question-and-answer session conducted over email.
FSG has been open to investment in Liverpool for several years, and has recently engaged Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs in that process.
“I know there has been a lot of conversation and quotes about LFC, but I keep to the facts: we merely formalised an ongoing process,” said Henry.
His comments were published prior to Liverpool facing Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at Anfield last night.
The Reds went into the game eighth in the English Premier League having won their past two matches.
FSG bought Liverpool in a £300m deal following the controversial tenure of former owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.
American basketball star LeBron James has been a part-owner of Liverpool since 2011 and has a 2 percent stake which cost him £4.7m.
He has since become a minor partner in FSG, which also owns baseball side Boston Red Sox.
In March 2021, RedBird Capital Partners, a private investment firm, bought a stake in FSG for about $735m (£533m).
Liverpool were part of a cabal of major European clubs that announced in April 2021 that they planned to break from UEFA to form their own continental competition. The plan, however, was foiled within days not least due to supporters of the English clubs involved staging protests outside of their respective stadiums.
FSG was formed in 2001 and has since enjoyed remarkable success across baseball and football, deploying what has come to be known as the “Moneyball” strategy of recruiting and building teams.
They bought Liverpool for £300m from Tom Hicks and George Gillett in 2010 and have turned the Merseyside club back into one of the foremost football institutions on the planet.
They helped end the club’s 30-year wait for a league title and won their sixth Champions League title, as well as reaching two further finals.
FSG have also overseen a huge transformation of Anfield, with the capacity set to reach 61 000 next season when the new £60m Anfield Road End opens.
The group drew criticism in 2019 when they attempted to trademark the name Liverpool.
Supporters’ group Spirit of Shankly strongly opposed the bid and successfully lobbied against the move.
Henry also publicly addressed fans last year to apologise for Liverpool’s part in a foiled European Super League breakaway.
“I want to apologise to all the fans and supporters of Liverpool Football Club for the disruption I caused over the past 48 hours,” he said.
“It goes without saying but should be said that the project put forward was never going to stand without the support of the fans. No-one ever thought differently in England.
“Over these 48 hours you were very clear that it would not stand. We heard you. I heard you.” — BBC Sport
Online Reporter