SerpApi.Org
It is always a name that changes the landscape and, as Tuesday night ticked into Wednesday morning, so it proved again. Jeff Bezos, the world’s fourth-richest man, potentially being involved in a consortium that wants to invest in Liverpool? Suddenly things were different.
Arthur McEwen, the former editor of the San Francisco Examiner, once famously said news could be judged if it made a reader or a viewer say: “Gee whizz!” – and that would have been exclaimed, far and wide, when Bezos featured in the same sentence as English football’s 20-time champions.
A brief synopsis: Fenway Sports Group, Liverpool’s owner, has held discussions with a consortium led by Amit Bhatia, the son-in-law of Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, about selling a minority share in the club, similar to a deal that FSG brokered with Dynasty Equity in September 2023.
FSG has never hidden its desire to bring investors on board. Its business model at Liverpool is beholden to being in the Champions League, with the revenue it produces, and staying in the top five is increasingly difficult with the depth of challengers in the Premier League.
That all seemed very straightforward. Bhatia had stepped down from his position as co-owner and director of Queens Park Rangers to lead the consortium but a minor share, with no input into Liverpool’s day-to-day running, was not going to dominate the news agenda.
But then Mark Kleinman, the city editor of Sky News, reported that Bezos (net worth: $269bn) had been approached to be part of the consortium and this took things into a new realm. There has been uncertainty around Liverpool this summer and now it felt even more acute.
Here’s why: it would be enough of a transition with new manager Andoni Iraola, and his staff, getting settled into their roles, but so many other things have been at play that have led to the feeling that it is not as stable as it might be.
Michael Edwards, a hugely influential administrator and one of the architects of Liverpool’s high-achieving past decade, announced he was leaving his role as chief executive of football operations for FSG two weeks ago.
Richard Hughes, the current sporting director who drove Iraola’s appointment, seems almost certain to leave his post in the autumn – despite having 10 months left on his contract – with Liverpool not offering any guarantees about his future beyond the current transfer window.
Now, many will be asking whether it all means FSG is beginning to pave the way for its own exit. If Bezos is involved, would he not want something bigger given that he could buy Liverpool – valued at $6bn – outright and not even see a significant dent in his bank balance? Bezos has never previously shown any interest in sports ownership.
It must be stressed, here, that sources in Boston have repeatedly maintained in conversations with Telegraph Sport that FSG is simply looking for the backing that will position Liverpool to pursue success; dialogue with Bhatia is in its early stages and there are no guarantees they will complete.
Similarly, those representing Bhatia will not comment on any speculation other than confirming interest. One suggestion is the consortium wants eight per cent; another is they want as much as 30 per cent, which – for context – would be more than Sir Jim Ratcliffe owns in Manchester United.
Whatever happens, it feels like a seed has been planted.
FSG bought Liverpool for £300m in October 2010 – it is often forgotten the club were days away from entering administration – and though there have been occasions when it has been called out by fans, it would be risible to say it has been anything other than an outstanding owner.
Critics will ask: What has it done? Not much, apart from appointing a generational manager, providing the foundations for the team to win every major trophy, rebuilding the stadium and the training ground and shattering the transfer record, you could sardonically reply.
Still, the mind is drawn back to a quote from John W Henry, the protagonist in FSG, from February 2023. His public comments these days are as rare as snowfall in the desert, but when he speaks, what he says is always a reference point.
“Will we be in England forever? No,” he told The Boston Journal. “Are we selling LFC? No. Are talking with investors about LFC? Yes. Will something happen there? I believe so, but it won’t be a sale.”
A sale will, however, come one day. FSG sold the Pittsburgh Penguins ice hockey team for $1.7bn late in 2025, having almost doubled the initial $900m investment it made in 2021. The return on Liverpool, if it cashed in now, would be close to 15-fold.
Sport has always been the attraction for Henry and his many associates, one of whom is basketball hall-of-famer LeBron James, and their many strategic interests include the PGA Tour. FSG has hosted events at the last two Open Championships, which Rory McIlroy has attended.
Perhaps there will be something bigger at play in the long run. A basketball franchise will be available to buy in Las Vegas in 2028, with industry experts expecting the bidding to start at $10bn. FSG said it had no interest in it in March, but it always remains interested in opportunities.
That, after all, was how it came to buy Liverpool. Henry was not convinced about investing in the Premier League initially until he received an email from Joe Januszewski, the then vice-president of corporate sales at FSG and lifelong Liverpool fan, effectively asking him to “save my club”.
The more Henry thought about it, the more he took it on board and eventually took the plunge. Perhaps FSG will remain as custodian of Liverpool for many years yet and perhaps it will find room for Bhatia’s consortium to come on board and bolster the finances.
But Bezos’s name has altered the landscape and that is why there are doubt and questions. Liverpool went through enough turbulence last season. Few would have anticipated heading into the new campaign with more bumps and uncertainty on the horizon.
Iraola delighted Szoboszlai is staying... but he is not assured of vice-captaincy
Andoni Iraola has described Dominik Szoboszlai’s decision to commit to a new Liverpool contract as a huge moment in his reign but offered no guarantees on making him vice-captain.
The Hungary international signed a new five-year deal last Friday and, in the process, removed the potential for speculation about his future. Szoboszlai’s previous terms were due to expire in June 2028 and clubs around Europe were monitoring his situation.
Szoboszlai was Liverpool’s outstanding performer last season, with 13 goals and 12 assists, and he is now one of the senior figures within the dressing room. The 25-year-old has ambitions of becoming deputy to club captain Virgil van Dijk, with the role vacant after Andy Robertson’s departure in May.
He will almost certainly wear the armband when Liverpool play their first game under Iraola on Saturday, against Sunderland in Nashville, but the Basque is going to bide his time before making a decision on who will be vice-captain full-time.
“I think this is one of the probably greatest [pieces of] news since I arrived,” Iraola said. “His commitment to this club, his contract renewal. He has come in a great shape. He’s been leading by example in training, pushing a lot. I think young players should be looking at him, the way he is training and he competes.
“Definitely he has to be one of our leaders and I’m looking forward to having him in my team, to try to use him in the best way, to try to help him feel comfortable and try to make him continue the same way. If we can, we want to improve what he’s already doing.”
Liverpool paid £60m to sign Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig in June 2023 and there will be a huge emphasis on his running ability under Iraola, with the new head coach committed to using a system in which a significant emphasis is placed on midfielders to cover big distances on the pitch.
There is no question Iraola is thrilled to have the chance of working with Szoboszlai, he simply wants to assess all his squad before announcing the vice-captaincy. Alisson Becker, the Brazil goalkeeper who has been at Liverpool for eight years, would also be a contender for the role.
Recommended
Kevin Keegan turned my beloved Liverpool into a global superpower
