The John W. Henry-led Fenway Sports Group’s (FSG) ownership of Liverpool is not universally liked by the fanbase despite the club winning all the biggest honours of the game under their tutelage over the last decade.
FSG identified and brought in Jurgen Klopp and created a support structure around the German, which led to an unprecedented era of success at Anfield in recent years.
Liverpool ended their 30-year wait for a Premier League title in 2020 and added a sixth Champions League title to their name as well.
However, a section of the fanbase still believes that they could have done more in terms of transfers to support Klopp and help him compete with the financial juggernaut of Manchester City led by Pep Guardiola.
The owners again came under the scanner in the summer when many believed they failed to support the new manager, Arne Slot, properly with funds and there were envious eyes on Merseyside a few years back when Saudi Arabia’s Sovereign Wealth Fund took charge of Newcastle United.
While the Premier League’s financial rules have stopped Newcastle from getting the most out of being owned by the Saudis, many believe a Saudi-led Liverpool would have been a different animal given their already-established global fanbase.
Recent revelations of active governmental involvement in getting the takeover approved by the Premier League have brought the scanner back on Newcastle but there are now rumours around that the Magpies are only a placeholder for a bigger prize the Saudis are eyeing.
A Saudi-led takeover talk is back around Liverpool
There is now evidence of the UK government playing an active role in getting the takeover approved by the Premier League and there is fresh scrutiny on the assurances the league received on there being no Saudi government involvement in the running of the club.
PIF is chaired by the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Bin Salman, and there are claims that he pressured to get the takeover of Newcastle approved by the Premier League.
However, according to the Independent, there are fresh rumours of the Saudis eyeing a bigger and more glamorous prize than Newcastle.
It has been claimed that Liverpool are one of the clubs who are being touted as a side they could try and take control of in the near future.
Chelsea and Barcelona are also believed to be on their radar but for the moment, there is no evidence of an active attempt to buy any of these clubs.
Will it happen?
FSG tried to sell Liverpool a couple of years back but failed to generate the level of interest they would have wanted.
In the end, they settled for investment into the club and have continued to remain committed to taking them forward.
A Saudi-led takeover could appeal to a section of Liverpool fans who want investment in their squad to compete with Manchester City and other big spenders in the Premier League.
However, there would also be fans who could feel alienated given Saudi Arabia’s reputation as a country and their highly questionable human rights record.
For the moment, everything is hypothetical but any interest in Liverpool from Saudi Arabia could set the cat amongst the pigeons given the stature and size of the club.
