Much-maligned to highly praised: how FSG’s transfer committee has transformed opinion
If you asked any Liverpool fan what their opinion of owners Fenway Sports Group was during the early part of the 2010’s, the answer would likely have been a rather negative one. Fast-forward to 2020, 10 years on from FSG taking over Liverpool Football Club, the view has changed dramatically. From wasting money on players who simply weren’t good enough and pushing players out of the door when they weren’t wanted to signing world class players and securing bargain deals, the view on Liverpool’s owners has switched from much-maligned to highly praised. The key question is how have the notorious transfer committee at Liverpool changed opinions so drastically?
FSG’s Takeover from Hicks and Gillett
In October 2010 it was announced that FSG had agreed the takeover of Liverpool from Tom Hicks and George Gillett. Despite the initial hopes when Hicks and Gillett took over, their tenure ended with fans extremely relieved at their departure. There was therefore renewed hope when John Henry and Co. completed the takeover that the club would have the sufficient funds to secure the signings that were needed. However, the pain endured particularly towards the end of the Hicks and Gillett era was to have a much longer-lasting impact than many anticipated. Correcting the mistakes of the previous regime perhaps was a major reason why Liverpool held back at the start of the FSG era from spending similar numbers to Premier League rivals. The approach towards new signings has changed over the years for FSG. During the early part of the 2010’s, there seemed to be a real reluctance to spend that little bit more to secure a signing and if the price wasn’t exactly right, FSG and Liverpool would simply walk away from the deal. In a stark antithesis to the current day, although Liverpool won’t bow to other teams’ demands, they will pay the money to sign the players they really want.
Signings from 2010-15
When you look back at some of the signings made in the first half of the last decade, there are a number of very questionable deals where Liverpool massively overspent on players who putting it simply were nowhere near good enough and couldn’t cope with the pressure of playing from Liverpool. Stewart Downing was signed for £20 million from Aston Villa in the summer of 2011, scoring just 7 times and recording 12 assists in 91 games in all competitions, and was then sold for just £5 million 2 years later. One of the most infamous signings of the early FSG era was Andy Carroll in January 2011 for what was a club record £35 million at the time from Newcastle. After just half a season in the Premier League, Liverpool splashed the cash on a player who yielded only 11 goals in 58 appearances and was sold at a £20 million loss to West Ham a few years later, lasting only 18 months at Liverpool. Brendan Rodgers’ first signing at Liverpool, Fabio Borini, scored just 3 times in 38 appearances after signing from Roma for £10.5 million in July 2012 and was loaned out to Sunderland a year later who he eventually joined permanently. These are just 3 examples of players who Liverpool spent good money on and failed, and by the end seemingly just got rid of rather than seeking a good financial return on these players. It is important however to point out that there were some incredible additions in the early part of the decade as well as a lot of poor signings. Luis Suarez was signed in the same window as Andy Carroll for just £25 million from Ajax, Daniel Sturridge was signed from Chelsea for £12.5 million in January 2012 and Philippe Coutinho signed from Inter Milan for a bargain £8.5 million in the same window as Sturridge.
Wasting Suarez money
One of the biggest criticisms of FSG’s ownership in the early years was the way the money from Luis Suarez’s sale was spent. Suarez had just come off the back of scoring 31 league goals in 2013-14 but was sold to Barcelona for around £75 million. It was therefore imperative after losing such a key player that the club spent the money wisely. Although some of the signings made in the £117 million outlay that summer have had a good impact and still play for the club, a number were poor acquisitions. Mario Balotelli, Lazar Markovic, Alberto Moreno and Rickie Lambert were all signed that summer and to say they were unsuccessful signings is an understatement.
Signings from 2015-present
It is incredible to think then the turnaround on signings from 2010-15 to 2015-present. A combination of big-money signings to shrewd investments has led the club to winning the Champions League in 2019 and on the verge of the Premier League title this season. At the start of Jurgen Klopp’s tenure in 2015, Liverpool weren’t the dominant force they are now so they had to sign players with the potential to be world-class but who weren’t there yet, namely Sadio Mané from Southampton for £35 million and Mohamed Salah from Roma for a similar price. Both have gone on to become two of the best forwards in world football. Liverpool have also picked up bargain deals over the last 5 years, including Joe Gomez for £3.5 million from Charlton, Joel Matip on a free from Schalke, Andrew Robertson from Hull for £8 million and Takumi Minamino for £7.25 million from Red Bull Salzburg. Then, in recent years, Liverpool have spent big money on players in key positions to take them to the next level from a top-four side to a title challenging side. Virgil van Dijk was signed from Southampton for £75 million in January 2018 and has gone on to become the best defender in the world. Alisson Becker was bought for £65 million from Roma in the summer of 2018 and was voted the world’s best goalkeeper in 2019. What has been shown in the last 5 years is that FSG have been willing to provide the funds to spend big and have made shrewd acquisitions to complement them.
Making the most of player sales
As well as recruiting top player after top player, driving hard bargains for sales should not go unnoticed. Before 2015, any player that was surplus to requirements was seemingly pushed out the back door. However, in recent years, there has been a concerted effort to maximize any sale. When Kevin Stewart departed for Hull in an £8 million deal, that was an effective swap for Andrew Robertson who is currently one of the best full-backs in the world. Liverpool have also managed to secure a total of around £40 million from Bournemouth for Brad Smith, Jordon Ibe and Dominic Solanke, none of them going on to establish themselves at their new club. The best example of Liverpool’s new sale tactic is the departure of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona in January 2018. Liverpool managed to agree a £142 million sale including add-ons, Coutinho has failed to establish himself at Barcelona going on loan to Bayern Munich and Liverpool used that money to buy Virgil van Dijk and Alisson with a bit of spare cash left over.
The key members of the transfer committee
It is vital to remember the people behind these signings and departures; the transfer committee. Once heavily criticized, this group has excelled in recent years. The committee is led by Michael Edwards, the sporting director, who may go unnoticed outside of Liverpool but within the club and the fan base he is known as the mastermind behind the recent transfer success. Whether it be repairing relations with Southampton after the tapping up scandal in 2017 to secure the Virgil van Dijk signing 6 months later to the proactive negotiations to land Naby Keita from RB Leipzig 12 months in advance to beat rival clubs to having such strong relations with Red Bull in order to be the only ones to know of Takumi Minamino’s bargain release clause, many Liverpool fans are calling for there to be a statue in his honour. Other members of the committee include Dave Fellows (head of scouting and recruitment), Barry Hunter (chief scout) and Mike Gordon (president of FSG). Manager Jurgen Klopp plays a key role in any potential new signing at the club, having the first and last word. It is key to point out that the owners fully back Jurgen Klopp and when he has wanted to make a signing, there is no hesitation to fully support him. This is in stark contrast to the relationship between FSG and Klopp’s predecessor, Brendan Rodgers. There was always the sense that FSG didn’t fully trust or back Rodgers, which prevented them from giving him the same backing as they do now to Klopp.
In the space of just a few years, Liverpool’s transfer committee has gone from being ridiculed to revered thanks to the trust in the manager, the intense scouting of players that fit a very specific purpose in Jurgen Klopp’s side and the willingness and patience to sign the right players at the right price. It really is crazy to think the club started the last decade with Roy Hodgson appointed in 2010 and signing the likes of Paul Konchesky to ending the decade as European and World champions, signing world-class players, having Jurgen Klopp at the helm and on the verge of a Premier League title.
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