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As I write, Jeff Bezos has his finger hovering over the “Add to Basket” button. Press it, and he could soon be taking delivery – Prime, you assume – of a substantial stake in a northern English soccer franchise.
It’s a sizable purchase, but Liverpool FC will hardly break the bank. A space-rocket race with Elon Musk: that’s real money. Liverpool FC will probably fit somewhere between the value of his pet toys category and a cloud computing centre in Delaware.
The Bezos browsing history includes quite a few high-profile sports teams. And even if he doesn’t Save Liverpool for Later, he will be a minority shareholder, with FSG remaining in charge. For now.
For we fans, customers, punters, call us what you like, it IS a big deal. The question is – do we do a Gianni Infantino, the baby-faced head of Fifa, and just roll over and simper? Or are we like an Argentinian footballer, swinging haymakers in impotent fury even after the final whistle has sounded and the deal has been inked?
Financial expert Amber Pinto told Sky that my beloved club is a “robust and premium asset”. Well, that’s nice, although it’s hardly the language John Smith would have used.
Smith, another balding businessman, but the self-effacing English type with the name to go with it, was the man who made the modern Liverpool. This highly conservative chairman allied with a socialist and very charismatic manager called Bill Shankly to create the club we have today – the most successful British one ever.
On the pitch, Liverpool were all dynamism and innovation. Off it – Smith’s conservatism ruled. They even held out against perimeter advertising until commercial realities made it inevitable.
They were canny, spotting bargains in the football equivalent of Temu rather than paying the full Amazon whack.
In 1971, for example, they landed a lad from Scunthorpe United for £33,000. That’s just £116,977,000 short of the figure Chelsea have paid for Morgan Rogers.
Rogers is a good player, but he’s no Kevin Keegan. Our Kev died this week, breaking many a Liverpool heart. He epitomised the club and the attitude Shankly demanded: energetic, gutsy, humble. He was a fans’ player, not as Amber Pinto would probably put it, a highly leveragable asset.
Still, Keegan was ambitious. He moved to Germany and we thought the club, especially without Shankly, would never be the same again. But Liverpool were ambitious, too. They built an even better team and adapted to commercial realities. They were first to allow sponsor logos on their hallowed red shirts.
The decline of the club on and off the pitch reached its lowest point with the ownership of two American grifters who loaded the club up with debt while the previously glistening trophy cabinet gathered dust.
At least the next American owners knew their sport. FSG’s John W Henry had his own Shankly in the toothy figure of Jurgen Klopp, who got the city and the fans, and brought that energy and passion back. Keegan would have loved playing for him.
But he’s moved on, and there are plenty of Liverpool fans who’d be happy if FSG did, too, especially after their treacherous flirtation with a breakaway Euro superleague.
On the This Is Anfield site today, we are divided. Don't let any anti-red billionaire monster anywhere near Anfield! says Sir Keegan. Others point to the realities of the 2026 Premier League.
Two players we could badly have done with last season, Semenyo and Guehi, chose Abu Dhabi-bankrolled Manchester City instead. Any Liverpool supporters hoping City might eventually get clobbered by the 115 financial fair-play charges hanging over them will probably see an Amazon outlet on the Moon first.
Me? Pragmatist. We need the dosh. And in Andoni Iraola we have a new, dynamic young manager who, like his twin brother, Andy Burnham, offers hope in spades and energy in abundance.
And it could be worse. It wasn’t so long ago that Elon Musk was said by a close source – his dad – to be eyeing up the club.
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