Liverpool — Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders does not expect new owners at Anfield in the near future as he hailed the investments made by the Fenway Sports Group (FSG).
In a statement on Monday, FSG responded to reports the club was for sale by saying it would “consider new shareholders if it was in the best interests of Liverpool as a club.”
The American investment group bought the Reds in 2010 for £300-million.
Liverpool have been transformed on and off the pitch since, particularly since Jurgen Klopp was appointed as manager in 2015.
Klopp has led the English giants to three Champions League finals in five seasons, winning the club’s sixth European Cup in 2019, and ended a 30-year wait to win the Premier League in 2020.
Estimates have priced the club’s current value at up to £4-billion.
“Everybody who knows us as a club knows we have a strong relationship with the owners,” said Lijnders, who faced the media on Tuesday ahead of Liverpool’s League Cup tie against Derby County.
“I always know the owners act in best interests of the club and always have done. The statement was very clear. It’s nothing new for a club to try to find new investors. They try to take the club forward.
“Do I feel they are here for the long-term? I think the statement was really clear, to be honest. I think they are acting in the best interest of this club to take it further.”
FSG have been forced into a number of embarrassing U-turns during their reign as owners on an increase in ticket prices, a decision to furlough staff during the coronavirus pandemic and most notably when agreeing to join a breakaway Super League in 2021.
However, Lijnders defended their record overall.
Liverpool opened a state-of-the-art new training ground in 2020 with the capacity at Anfield set to rise to 61 000 once a second expansion in recent years in completed in time for the 2023/24 season.
“For me they are good owners,” added Lijnders.
“First, they tied down one of the best managers in the world for seven plus years. Second, they tied down the best players in the squad.
“The difference between world’s top clubs and sub-top is you have to sell your best players. They tied down the (Mohamed) Salah contract.
“They invested in the academy, they invested in where we are sitting now, one of the best training grounds in world football, they invested in the stadium.
“They made a lot of good decisions and if they weren’t good owners we wouldn’t be sat here. We have won a lot of cups and a lot of international prizes.”
AFP
