Topic: The Men in Suits behind the scenes

[MonsLibpool]

Maybe Benfica itself? We seem to be on good terms with them.

Benfica are too big for that. A smaller club would be ideal.

[ValiantInstance]

If one of these smaller second-division clubs ever produced a top player, they would be poached by a bigger club anyway. We can bemoan the state of that at large in football, but this second club model doesn't have to be a big black stain. The fans of the second club would surely have better football and better players to watch, and they'd have more wins. They'd consistently be competitive. Their best players would consistently leave too, but clubs like Dortmund are already dealing with the same thing. We don't operate like the cheats or have the same concerns with regard to camouflaging our cheating with a second club.

I have been wondering about Toulouse, which Red Bird owns, for a long time. I wonder if FSG would try to work something out with them as well, after Portugal.

Hence the 'happy being our talent pool' part. Yes I'd imagine there are a lot of lowly clubs that would prefer seeing highly talented younger players every weekend instead of semi professional cloggers.

[Barefoot Doctor]

Presume this guy is essentially being given the Sporting Director role at the second club? The Hughes equivalent. You can see the logic behind a Portuguese club, obviously three dominant teams but the top six get European football of some sort. That

We’ve done some business with Famalicao recently, I wonder if that is a precursor to something. There was something from FSG last week about Edwards doing stuff on the second club in the coming weeks and months… that coupled with this announcement suggests we know which club it is.

I just hope the approach is to make the club as successful as possible rather than just being a talent farm.

[TepidT2O]

You could use the same analytics team for both clubs of course

[Samie]

It's more like the Red Bull model for us. They all have their autonomy with LFC being at the tip.

[rafathegaffa83]

We’ve done some business with Famalicao recently, I wonder if that is a precursor to something.

I thought of them initially, but they've been majority owned  (currently 85%) since 2018 by the Israel billionaire Idan Ofer who also has a 33% stake in Atletico Madrid.

[MonsLibpool]

You could use the same analytics team for both clubs of course

Yep. It will allow the "smaller" team to find hidden gems.

[Egyptian36]

Maybe Benfica itself? We seem to be on good terms with them.

Highly doubt it. Most likely a club from the second division.

[Samie]

I think if it's Portugal , then it might be a top division club bar the big ones and those already with ownership with a rich benefactor. 

[Draex]

I do get peoples concerns about the soul of football with multi-club ownership but I think you can get it right, I really hope we do.

It does excite me though, it means FSG are staying and are doubling down on their energy investment and it will benefit us for sure.

[sinnermichael]

Ornstein.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXagOPhXMHM

[Draex]

AS St Etienne is for sale apparantly for £30mil!

[MonsLibpool]

AS St Etienne is for sale apparantly for £30mil!

They are too big for MCO. Very demanding fans too.

[Redbonnie]

I wonder if there is any chance Klopp is going for a year and will then manage the new club?  He might want to build something. He is a man of his word though and he has said he doesn’t know what he is doing next. It wouldn’t be too mad for him to manage Benfica.

[Samie]

St Etienne are in Ligue 2, FSG can get them and they'll be grateful to be back in ligue 1.

[Samie]

If FSG get St Etienne, that's some good vibes intothe universe as we share a history with them.  Big and historic club who have been in the shit for a while now.

[Vegeta]

I wonder if there is any chance Klopp is going for a year and will then manage the new club?  He might want to build something. He is a man of his word though and he has said he doesn’t know what he is doing next. It wouldn’t be too mad for him to manage Benfica.

I see him coaching Real Madrid after Carlo is done anything else will be a step down. It's about time he coached a super team that is ready made to conquer does he really have the energy at this age to go somewhere and rebuild from scratch for 2-3 seasons like he did with us and at Dortmund.

[afc tukrish]

If FSG get St Etienne, that's some good vibes intothe universe as we share a history with them.  Big and historic club who have been in the shit for a while now.

What does David Fairclough think?

[Samie]

He thinks a jollyup in France. 

[afc tukrish]

He thinks a jollyup in France. 

Can imagine he might get right behind things...

 

[disgraced cake]

Oh please no. The suggestion of taking over Saint Etienne is cringe inducing at best to me. Record French champions if you take away PSG, one of the most vocal set of supporters in France. Just take over some no-marks if you're going to do it. Surely their fan base would protest becoming a finishing school for Liverpool. And of course yes, many teams do exist as such for the richest around Europe but I think there's a huge difference being a part of a MCO. This is one of the biggest clubs in France with a proper identity. Hope it isn't them.

[Samie]

All valid points mate but they are in the second divsion of France.  It would be a few years before they are up and running back to the top if FSG did buy them.

[MonsLibpool]

All valid points mate but they are in the second divsion of France.  It would be a few years before they are up and running back to the top if FSG did buy them.

And once they get promoted,  they'll want to win the league again. We can't satisfy them. I'd prefer a no-mark club with no burden of history as disgraced cake said.

[Samie]

Once they get promoted back they will have to  consolidate their league status for a couple of seasons. It would probably be about 5 years before they can start challenging for Europe never mind PSG for the title.

[DowntheLine1981]

Hmmm not sure on the wisdom of buying a club in the French league.  Would you want our kids playing football in the second divsion of France?

[spider-neil]

If and when we purchase a club I think a lot of our kids will be sent there.

[ValiantInstance]

St Etienne is a terrible idea. We should not be owning an opponent from one of the greatest nights in this clubs history.

[Garlic Red]

I read a while back that Villa’s owners bought a 46% share in Vitória de Guimarães, pretty sure they had to reduce it to 29% to comply with UEFA. They only paid €5.5m for the 46% share. I genuinely can’t believe it’s taken FSG this long if those are the fees involved.

[Drinks Sangria]

I read a while back that Villa’s owners bought a 46% share in Vitória de Guimarães, pretty sure they had to reduce it to 29% to comply with UEFA. They only paid €5.5m for the 46% share. I genuinely can’t believe it’s taken FSG this long if those are the fees involved.

Insane isn’t it - they acquired 29% for €5.5m, albeit that only got put through with an agreement to invest a further €6m on facilities and €22m on the squad. That still values the club at less than most of our first team players.

Putting aside that I hate the multi-club model and it should be banned along with state-affiliated ownership, I agree we shouldn’t be touching any club with great history. The issue is, at what point do you say a club has no history? Just because they haven’t won things doesn’t mean they don’t have their own culture and history. With the appointment, I’d imagine it’ll either be Portugal for easy access into the South American market, or Brazil itself. Portugal more likely. Perhaps a club like Rio Ave or Gil Vicente who have reputations for great scouting and feeding players into the bigger Portuguese clubs. They’d also probably cost less than whoever Liverpool’s marquee signing this summer will be, for the entire club.

[Samie]

St Etienne is a terrible idea. We should not be owning an opponent from one of the greatest nights in this clubs history.

Actually this would be the perfect time. I don;t think it will be them but it would be a great opprtunity.  They are in the second division currently. They are a big, historic club with a 40K capacity stadium. They and France will always produce quality players, this would be a great get for FSG.

[Gods_Left_Boot]

Oh please no. The suggestion of taking over Saint Etienne is cringe inducing at best to me. Record French champions if you take away PSG, one of the most vocal set of supporters in France. Just take over some no-marks if you're going to do it. Surely their fan base would protest becoming a finishing school for Liverpool. And of course yes, many teams do exist as such for the richest around Europe but I think there's a huge difference being a part of a MCO. This is one of the biggest clubs in France with a proper identity. Hope it isn't them.

Yeah they're a big historic club, as grim as the principle of multiclub ownership this, this choice would be in particular poor taste.

If they have to do it, I just hope that it will be for some no mark club, maybe one that is already some rich guy's plaything, rather than a proper club with history and a devoted set of fans.

[CraigDS]

Everyone seems to be looking at it as a negative for the other club and not focusing on the positives it could actually give them... one of the best ownership groups in football at the moment which would put in place a proper business & footballing structure including promoting youth, a proven focus on maintaining historic aspects of a club & investment in stadium & training facilities. Plus a link to us would provide not only some top youth talent on loan but enable them to benefit from the footballing knowledge of the people here and commercially capitalise on being linked to one of the most well known clubs in world football.

I think fans of a hell of a lot of clubs, including a historic club currently in the shit, would jump at that chance.

[The Final Third]

Everyone seems to be looking at it as a negative for the other club and not focusing on the positives it could actually give them... one of the best ownership groups in football at the moment which would put in place a proper business & footballing structure including promoting youth, a proven focus on maintaining historic aspects of a club & investment in stadium & training facilities. Plus a link to us would provide not only some top youth talent on loan but enable them to benefit from the footballing knowledge of the people here and commercially capitalise on being linked to one of the most well known clubs in world football.

I think fans of a hell of a lot of clubs, including a historic club currently in the shit, would jump at that chance.

Yep, FSG may be shrewd hedge fund Capitalists but they've also been great heritage club custodians. There is no way they're going to strip away the identity of any club they own because that would be financially inane.

[TepidT2O]

Can we just have Sarah Cracknell?

[mattD]

Well, if its believed that the likes of Gakpo and Diaz were the signings from the management, thank god Edwards and co are coming back in the summer to reassert the DoF model.

A shambolic front forward display today. They ain't Mane or Firmino that's for sure.

Gakpo one of the biggest wastes of money under Klopp sadly. Utterly ineffective and awol.

[Samie]

Michael Edwards was at Old Trafford today.

[kop306]

edwards and his team are going to learn a great deal in the next few matches

its interesting to see which players have stepped up and who has been poor in recent weeks

[spider-neil]

Michael Edwards was at Old Trafford today.

So he's a jinx?

[spider-neil]

Well, if its believed that the likes of Gakpo and Diaz were the signings from the management, thank god Edwards and co are coming back in the summer to reassert the DoF model.

A shambolic front forward display today. They ain't Mane or Firmino that's for sure.

Gakpo one of the biggest wastes of money under Klopp sadly. Utterly ineffective and awol.

He has double figures in goal contributions and was the top scorer in the League Cup that we just won. 'Utterly ineffective' is a stretch.

[Garlic Red]

edwards and his team are going to learn a great deal in the next few matches

its interesting to see which players have stepped up and who has been poor in recent weeks

Haha genuinely brilliant comments like this. Like he’ll be looking over the team wielding an axe or something. Liverpool will be like any other top business, they’ll conduct proper performance reviews with all of the relevant teams and the players internally. Edwards returning to implement a new structure is not some proverbial rocket the players need up their arse. Besides that, how you can say some players have been poor in recent weeks I’ve no idea, for me it’s been one of the best runs we’ve had under Klopp. Yesterday was gutting, but don’t be silly.