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Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) have reportedly shelved their plans to acquire a new football club as part of their portfolio.
The Boston-based group seemed to signal a new era when they convinced Michael Edwards to return to the fold in 2024, this time as FSG’s CEO of Football rather than simply Liverpool’s transfer mastermind.
One of the major selling points in those talks was a commitment to build out a full multi-club ownership model, with Edwards tasked with identifying and acquiring at least one additional team to sit alongside Liverpool in the portfolio.
The idea was clear: follow the path laid by Manchester City’s City Football Group and others, create new pathways for talent, and give Liverpool more flexibility in the transfer market and player development space.
However, it seems those plans are now not going to come to fruition.
James Pearce of the Athletic has reported:
“Liverpool’s U.S. owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) has shelved plans to purchase a second football club.”
“FSG announced its intention to create a multi-club ownership (MCO) group in 2024 when it rehired Michael Edwards as its CEO of football.”
“Extensive analysis was conducted on around 25 clubs with a strong focus on Spain, Portugal and France.”
There were preliminary talks with both Malaga and Getafe in Spain last year, but both clubs did not satisfy FSG’s criteria as there are stringent regulations in Spain around how much money owners can put into a club compared to it’s profits.
Ultimately, the current pause shows just how cautious FSG remain when it comes to major football outlays, especially in territories where strict cost controls and limited local revenues make returns harder to guarantee.
Rather than buying a badge just to say they own a “group”, Liverpool’s owners have repeatedly walked away from negotiations when the risk profile looked too steep, and it looks the plans will now be on pause indefinitely.
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