This possibility was always on the table, but the official confirmation doesn’t make it suck any less.
It would be funny if the PL Owners and Directors test threw a red flag though.
This possibility was always on the table, but the official confirmation doesn’t make it suck any less.
It would be funny if the PL Owners and Directors test threw a red flag though.
There are Traditional football journalists who wait for the club to send out an official press release and then there is Alex Sherman who covers corporate mergers, acquisitions, and the ultra-wealthy. He bypasses the sports world completely and talks directly to investment bankers, private equity partners, and corporate lawyers in New York and Delaware.
When you read his two linked updates together, he uncovers the real mechanics:
so i will go with him and his report and tweets.the rest of the sports world will catch up in a few days
Liverpool’s three new board additions, explained
Amit Bhatia — Vice-Chairman. Leads the 1892 Holdings group and will be the public-facing presence at Anfield bridging fans, FSG, and the squad. Spent nearly two decades on QPR’s board (chairman and director), so he actually knows English football administration, academies, and stadium operations from the inside. He’s also married to Vanisha Mittal, giving the consortium a direct line to the Mittal family’s wealth as financial backing.
Bryan Baum — board seat as Bezos’ proxy. Since Bezos himself isn’t taking a board seat, Baum (co-founder of K5 Global) is effectively representing that side of the money. His background is venture/tech, he’s backed OpenAI and other frontier AI and software startups and he’s known for pairing brands with celebrity networks, which points toward growing Liverpool’s off-pitch digital and commercial revenue. **K5 Sports put in over $1B of the total investment (Jeff Bezos is the “lead investor” and “principal investor” anchoring the K5 Sports fund).
Elaine Saverin — board seat, EE Capital. Runs the Saverin family’s Singapore-based family office. Background is quantitative finance (started as a research analyst at Franklin Templeton), so she brings rigorous, data-driven financial oversight. Notably, she’s not new to this level of deal, she was part of her husband Eduardo’s consortium that bid for Chelsea back in 2022, so she’s already familiar with Premier League ownership rules and modern club finance.
Bottom line: Bhatia is the football guy and public face, Baum is the tech/commercial upside play, Saverin is the financial discipline.
Bezos and Eduardo Saverin bankroll it but stay off the board itself.
Welcome Jeff
Welcome Amit
Welcome Eddie
Bhatia’s statement came across as nice and respectful. Gordon’s statement was spot on too, it all seems nice and collaborative.
The valuation is higher than we were being told in recent weeks, but the real thing that stands out is the reporting that there is language in the deal for the consortium to take control in 12 months at a valuation of $8B. I look forward to hearing more about that.
Most observers expected that such a wealthy consortium would not be content to be minor investors for the duration, with no option to increase their holding.
Hopefully there is no boardroom struggle to come, and things progress smoothly and beneficially for LFC as we go.
especially with what they have invested
Because people love to find fault. If Mother Theresa invested people would say it was 1 denominational.
From my POV there are much worse super rich people than Bezos.
What’s the big negative fuss about this new consortium?
What makes them different to FSG, or any other owners?
Doesn’t bother me personally if it’s Jeff Bezos or some random billionaire. As long as they run us right.
I can see the Kop capacity being doubled in the next decade or so. If money becomes freely available, the surrounding area of Anfield might get swallowed up with top top dollar being paid for the land and houses. As long as money being pumped into the area benefits the area, then it is a yes from me.
Imagine a European night under the lights with a crowd of 85k all singing Poor Scouser Tommy… It is to be remembered, everything LFC is now, and will become in the future… was started by a coalminers son, a guy that woke the sleeping giant.
"The potential investors in Liverpool FC are planning to eventually obtain a controlling stake in the Premier League club, according to people familiar with the matter.
A group led by Amit Bhatia, the son-in-law of steel tycoon and billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, is currently negotiating with Fenway Sports Group for as much as 30% of the club. The potential buyers are considering how to eventually take control of the team, which could include the group buying more equity in stages, the people said, asking not to be named discussing private information."…bloomberg article on the 29th of july
How about this for starters: The relationship between Amazon and Trump: profiting from power | Ethical Consumer
There is zero guarantee that the new group will keep things as they are, as no one knows their intentions. Bahtia is the only one with a track record in football, which is far from stellar. QPR didn’t exactly prosper under his leadership.
One would think that they wouldn’t be foolish enough to change our operational model, but you never know. Just take a look at the clown show at Chelsea.