Redbird are putting money in for a share of the wider FSG operations, not just LFC. Furthermore even ignoring the effect of inflation, the club now has grown from the debt laden club facing bankruptcy it was a decade ago to a financially secure club with a squad boasting players amongst the best of the best in those positions and capable of winning major honours so it isn’t an accurate comparison.
The underlying asset value, and the expected value of all of its future cashflows discounted at an appropriate rate are much higher today than they were when FSG became owners.
However, I don’t believe it is true because the club’s earnings (or the surplus cash generated by the club) also belong to FSG and the majority (if not all) of that has been successfully reinvested back into the club, which is one of the main reasons it is worth more now than a decade ago.
I believe Redbird paid approximately £550m for their share of FSG’s operations. FSG paid £300m for the club plus paid some money in as working capital over the first couple of years as the club was running losses. Plus whatever the club has since generated.
Crude is an understatement. You’ll find a way to flip this data to somehow fit your argument or just ignore this, but that Klopp has spent more money per year on transfers than Rodgers has. This is a fact. Klopp has spent somewhere around 550M pounds on players and Rodgers spent closer to 296M pounds. Divide this out by how long each manager has been here that comes to Klopp spending close to 100M pounds per year versus Rodgers spending about 85M per year. FSG has backed Klopp more than they backed Rodgers.
Think about it like this, Klopp has gotten more money for players sold so FSG has given him more to spend. I don’t understand how you can even begin to think a club ran like ours would fund a worse investment. These are some of the best business people in the world. Sometimes the obvious answer is the right answer.
As a well-run sustainable club in a league with Man City and Chelsea, our expectation should be to be in the running every year but only win every 2/3 years.
Going all out in the transfer market carries a huge risk. Barcelona was effectively brought to its knees by 150m on Coutinho.
Also we aren’t that far off the top if at all. I think a lot of people especially pundits are going to look like absolute fools for discounting us. Last season was an aberration. I’d rather have a tight squad where most players feel valued and used properly.
On Henderson the man - great leader, captain of the club. Holds high standards, helps set a professional tone, speaks well, is pastoral in looking after players, and basically there’s a hell of a lot to like there.
On Henderson the player - early days it was an impossible task, as who is as good as Stevie? But Henderson brought his own gifts to the team. Even the ones who were slow to see it eventually came round to the fact that he is a very good midfielder indeed. He can do most aspects of the job to a very high level, and is an unassuming player who is happy to let the team shine. When he is out we miss his drive and sheer will to win.
Which links me nicely to him being out. The injuries, while not at the level of other midfielders we have on the books, are starting to become more of a thing. So, after one more year, it is fair to suggest that Henderson will start to assume more of a Milner type of role in the squad - keeping standards high all around the place, but not necessarily being a nailed on starter, especially as more time elapses. I would imagine next season his appearances might start to wane a little, even if available.
So… will that be enough for Henderson? Maybe, or maybe not. It’s impossible to tell.
My take is there is no chance he will leave this summer, but depending on the overall shape of the squad by then, next summer might be on the cards. Either way, if and when he does go, I expect it to be classy and well done. And if he stays, I expect that to be classy and well done too. He’s an old school leader-by-example type, and even as the playing side of things starts to get a slight question mark as we look into the future, there’s an awful lot to like about Henderson.
As for FSG, good owners, one or two mistakes, mostly cultural stuff (American capitalism v more of a European or Liverpudlian sensibility) but we know what’s what. Good stewards, have grown the asset, they run the club well, we live to our means.
Recently strengthened the defence, which was the most important move to make, since it bit us on the arse last season with all the injuries there.
Now we are looking at what comes next. We all want a midfielder and a striker. And we have players on the books who need to move on.
Millions of variables in all that.
My suspicion is two more players, incoming, this summer, to have an impact on the team and first team squad. Plus a smattering of promising youngsters further down the pecking order. Depending on outgoing, we might just get one of the two players mentioned, while we keep our powder dry to compete for a bigger fish next summer.
I would argue that it is probably also the wrong way at looking at it.
Net spend is a measure best used to assess the qualitative impact on a squad from the spending between clubs - and so for example better suited to compare Rafa with Mourinho and co (Rafa spending £100m wasn’t the same as Mourinho doing the same because for Rafa it mean’t he was losing one of his best players to raise that).
Comparing Brendan and Klopp is completely different. Brendan inherited a squad that had huge wage costs that needed removing, and few players that could be sold off for decent fees. It needed extra investment for transfer fees.
Klopp has been able to benefit from a higher wage cap, and increased values of players he inherited, including fringe players. So benefitted from the squad FSG had helped Brendan build.
Just looking at money spent, also ignores variables such as when Edwards was appointed to his current role and how much the relationship with the transfer comittee plays a role.
Brendan was the ‘give me the right tools’ manager and perhaps the behind the scenes wasn’t running as effectively as it was by the time Klopp was beginning to hit his stride here.
I don’t understand where you’re coming from tbh,earlier in this thread you’re telling people we spent £320mill (which we did) in 2 years but we only spent that because we were recouping £200mill+ in sales,which works out at around £56mill per season,this is the so called years we went BIG and FSG spent cash (according to you).
Forward a couple of years with covid and the club have lost over £100mill in matchday revenue and paying back tv rights alone,thats basically 2 years of transfer funds and you’re saying we’ve come out of it fine??? then we’ve invested around £110mill into a new training ground and ARE and you are saying FSG are being cautious?? mate,i dunno where you think they are getting the money from but we spend what we make and have done since FSG came into the club,you just want them to over spend now and take from future funds,hence putting more debt on the club,they don’t work like this,you know that but you keep banging the same drum.
Like you said earlier…
So what you’re saying is FSG are keeping us financially safe and we are enjoying the fruits of theirs and Klopps labour.I don’t think we can ask for anymore than that really.
In a (far removed) alternate reality where Klopp manages Man City, according to you, would he spend:
a) more than
b) the same
c) half as much
d) a fifth of
Regarding all of the hysteria surrounding Henderson possibly leaving this summer, which, let me preface this post by saying I don’t believe it for one minute.
And one more thought in my preface, please don’t jump all over me after reading this. It’s a very matter-of-fact take, based in context of how FSG operate. I love Hendo, but business can be harsh at times.
If anyone thinks FSG is giving a 31 year old with 2 years left in his deal even MORE committed years, you’re head is either buried in the sand or you haven’t been paying attention for multiple years how this club runs.
Everyone has their emotions twisted up because Henderson is the captain and we all love him dearly. But from a financial responsibility standpoint - which everyone seems to love flying that particular flag - it makes no sense at all to commit even more years with 2 years remaining.
Yes it will be a pinch to our hearts and we will be sad and nostalgic the day Jordan leaves the club, but I have a spoiler alert: the club will go on.
Let’s stop pretending Hendo is an iron man without a chequered injury history. Last season he missed 4 of our 10 CL matches with injuries, and 15 league matches which included 12 straight weeks at the end of the season.
The year before he missed only 7 league matches and I believe 1 or 2 CL matches.
It’s very hard for me to believe anyone actually thinks FSG is suddenly going to deviate from or alter their formula of doing contracts for any one player.
To be fair, they gave 33 year old Milner a 3 year extension. Of course there’s a different set of factors for each player, not least of which is that a major pay raise for Henderson would take him beyond the value of Milner’s (presumably) final contract. How did the club value Milner’s fitness record at the time of his extension versus Henderson’s now? How about Milner’s role growing into a de facto coach versus Henderson’s leadership and the role they expect him to play in the locker room beyond 2023?
Considering all these things, I believe that a contract extension is certainly the right thing to do, but not at any cost. I think it’s basically “okay” for there to be a gap between the club’s initial offer and what Jordan/his agent are looking for. (I think his agent wouldn’t be doing his job if he signed the first thing put in front of them, especially considering that this is almost certainly Henderson’s last major contract.) Maybe these press briefings about a couple clubs who are “monitoring” and Henderson wanting to feel valued by the club are a way to put a bit of negotiating pressure on FSG. But the basic fact is that with 2 years remaining on his contract and a list of other priorities, there’s no reason for the club to rush or go overboard on the contract offer just to get it done this summer. Milner didn’t sign his extension until there were about 6 months left on his first deal.
Finally, Henderson’s options as a 33 year old free agent aren’t going to look like the ones available to Wijnaldum. Gini had leverage to hold out for a very drastic wage increase since walking away was always going to be a lucrative alternative. With all the contracts coming up for extension, I could even see how the club had to prioritize just one of Henderson vs. Wijnaldum to be on the books with big wages until 35/36 (2024 or beyond).
