Jordan Henderson has issued an emphatic endorsement of Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) in an interview with The Athletic.
Despite the former Reds captain revealing that he decided to leave Anfield this summer as he didn’t feel wanted by senior figures at the club, he spoke out glowingly about the tenure of the incumbent ownership on Merseyside.
The 33-year-old said of FSG: “Honestly, I can only have positive things to say about the ownership. They’ve been so good. It’s plain for everybody to see.
“When they came in and took the club over to where it is now and what they’ve achieved in that time — pretty much the same length of time as I’ve been there — has been remarkable, really.
“These guys are smart people. They know what they’re doing. They’re not a club that’s going to go and splash one hundred, two hundred, three hundred million on a player.
“They know what they need and sometimes — in my situation — that’s not nice at times. But it’s the best thing for the club. It’s the best thing for the team.”
Henderson added: “I always felt as though they had the best interests of the club at heart. They never take any money out of the club. They invest it all back in the club — whether that’s with the stadium, training ground, players. But at the same time, they’re clever in what they do with the money.
“They’re not going to go and spend a ridiculous amount of fees and wages on players because it will upset the structure, as much as I tried with certain players in the past! They stick to their principles and it has worked.”
In many respects, Henderson is right in his verdict on FSG, under whom the overall value of Liverpool FC has grown exponentially.
They purchased the club for £300m in 2010 (Forbes) and, following reports last November of John Henry and co being open to new investment, LFC now has an estimated worth of £4.36bn, according to Conrad Wiacek, head of sport analysis at GlobalData (via The Athletic).
The current owners will always have the gratitude of Reds fans for ending the despised tenure of predecessors Tom Hicks and George Gillett, while Anfield’s capacity is due to increase 25% on their watch.
FSG have also overseen the appointment of Jurgen Klopp, a transfer policy regarded by many as among the best in world football, and the glory of major silverware in the form of the Premier League, Champions League, Club World Cup and more.
However, the frugal approach referenced by Henderson has rankled with many Liverpool fans who feel that the ownership have been too cautious in an era where big spending is a necessity in order to compete for the biggest prizes.
The owners have also attracted criticism for various acts such as plans to raise ticket prices to £77, attempting to trademark the city’s name, furloughing non-playing staff during the first COVID lockdown and engaging in a botched attempt to join the much-reviled European Super League.
There’s a perception among portions of the fanbase that the Reds’ success of recent years has been in spite of rather than because of FSG, so by giving such emphatic backing to them, Henderson could’ve driven an even bigger wedge between himself and some supporters of his former club.
It’s a topic on which every Liverpool fan is bound to have their say, whatever their perspective of the ownership might be.
#Ep89 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones🎙️
Stadium capacity increase is actually a 40% increase not 25.
The biggest issue that the owners have screwed up is the mess they have made of the recruitment process. Under Michael Edward’s, we had a smooth process that was consistent, focussed and successful. But more significantly it was all kept private and confidential. Since the departures of key people in important recruitment and analysis roles, leaks have become commonplace and the consequences are the circus of this summers transfer window
all kept private and confidential and still the case. Not a soul heard a whisper about Szoboszlai or Endo and how little we paid for McAllister and Gravenberch was fantastic
It’s a great strategy! If other clubs know how good Pool’s targets are, the price will skyrocket simply because they will come in to increase the bid! There are already teams going after our top targets and getting them because it’s priced out of our budget die to their increased bids.
unfortunately football has moved on from there model working especially unfair on klopp trying to compete with city and peps endless chest
Agree 100 percent. The antifsg mob bring shame on the club especially with the racist phrasing of jibes like #yanksout. There are no better, smarter, wiser, owners in the premier league. they will be appreciated when we have whatever nightmare that follows. to get called greedy when you don’t take a penny out of the club is utter ignorance
phil battison fuck and screw fsg plus jordan henderson with I plus we so real very badly extreme serious sensitive deep fucking totally really powerful strongest super true direct free personality automatically pure simple fully special direct private secret care and damn about it never no stop bug fsgout us not interest over it of fsgin issue problem trouble ok
frugal ? i guess you mean not breaking FFP like the cheats at City ??
Not buying players at the right time when needed for certain positions eg midfield last season, right back to back up Trent and 2 CBS this season to back up Virgil and Konate the circus of Caicedo and Latvia is a big failure on FSG. We didn’t buy a younger DM to back up Endo.
So we should have bought a younger DM to block the path of Bajcetic? We should have bought a CB to block the path of Quansah?
And then next season would you be moaning that we don’t let youth progress/where is the next TAA?
That’s one side of the story, if you deny the other side.
No doubt Phil battison was jumping for joy with FSG lied and plotted over the super league.
The super league which would have destroyed Liverpool football club. For GREED by Greedy owners FSG.
No doubt phil battiston was jumping for joy as Liverpool finished outside the top four last season. Passed by Arsenal, Newcastle and Manchester United, now we are in the Europa league.
People like Phil won’t say why Liverpool, under klopp, the 3rd richest club are in decline in the Europa league.
Why? If it’s not the manager, it’s not because the club isn’t skint, it must be FSG.
FSG who don’t like to spend, who sell to buy. Who’ve got rid of Michael Edwards and all the recruitment team. FSG totally blameless for everything.
Just look at the net spend last ten years.
A joke for the 3rd richest club.
It’s the clueless who don’t blame FSG for anything who are an embarrassment to the club. The clueless like phil.