FSG’s steady, successful stewardship has brought Liverpool a long way

Americans have made high-profile mistakes but an upgraded Anfield, £50m training centre, and Jurgen Klopp represent an excellent legacy

RIGHT LEADER: Appointing Jurgen Klopp as manager has proven one of FSG's shrewdest Anfield moves. Pic: PA

Whatever the outcome of Fenway Sports Group’s search for new investment in Liverpool, the sales presentation that Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are conducting on its behalf will look far more attractive than it would have done when John W Henry and co acquired the club in the high court 12 years ago. They can sell Liverpool, part or whole, in a much better state than when they found it.

Another towering stand is currently under construction at Anfield that will take the stadium’s capacity above 61,000 when completed in time for the start of next season. The new Anfield Road stand is costing around £80m (€91.9m), £20m (€22.9m) more than anticipated before the Covid-19 pandemic, and is the third major development overseen by Liverpool’s owner. The three most expensive capital projects in the club’s history — Anfield Road, the £114m (€130.9m) main stand, and the £50m (€57.4m) AXA training centre in Kirkby — have all taken place on FSG’s watch. In the process, it has resolved stadium and redevelopment issues that had dogged Liverpool and the wider Anfield area long before their arrival.