We currently live in a world in which hundreds of thousands of people have died from Covid-19; America is on fire as Black Lives Matter protestors attempt to convince the powers that be that killing people because of the colour of their skin isn’t ok; and virtually everyone with half a brain is preparing themselves for the global crash that will come as a result of the Coronavirus epidemic. All of that is entirely irrelevant to the people that just want Liverpool to sign football players, however. The fact that the club seemingly had first refusal on Timo Werner and have neglected to take up the option to buy him means that the usual cranks and weirdos have come crawling out of their holes, preparing themselves for a zinger of an FSGOUT tweet that will only be liked and shared by weirdos who share a similar world view. When the world ends, it will only be cockroaches and FSGOUTers that survive and that should make us all feel sad.
I just have to admit it
After seeing #FSGout I now really understand why rival fans think our fanbase is so toxic .
After what they’ve done and making us reach European glory and arguably one of the best teams in history.
Now just because one signing won’t happen they’re mad.— Sultan💥🇸🇦 (@thearabianred) June 8, 2020
Don’t misunderstand me; I don’t think Fenway Sports Group are perfect owners. They got it wrong with the ticket prices and they got it wrong with the furloughing of staff, but in both cases they listened to supporters and backtracked. What they have done, though, they’d done very well indeed. The new Main Stand is an excellent addition to Anfield and the expansion of the Anfield Road End is much needed, whenever it happens. Similarly their decision to not only bring Jürgen Klopp on board but also give him virtual free reign to decide how the club should be run has seen us become a destination club rather than a stepping stone. It’s why the club’s training ground will eventually be moved from Melwood, because that’s what Klopp wants. It has also seen us win our sixth European Cup and stand on the brink of our first title of the Premier League era. If you can’t see those things as positives then I genuinely don’t know what to tell you.
FSG Have To Think About The Long-Term
There’s no doubt that Fenway Sports Group could have given Jürgen Klopp the go-ahead to sign Timo Werner if they’d wanted to. There is doubtless enough money in the coffers right now to mean that it wouldn’t have had too big of an impact on us in the immediate to short-term. The issue is, though, that FSG have to think about the club’s long-term financial health. Let’s not forget that they were able to buy the club because it was on the brink of going bust under an ownership that was extraordinarily poor when it came to finances. They have worked slowly, surely and diligently to get the club back onto a more certain financial footing and will be wary of ruining that for a short-term pleasure. Some supporters might not understand this, but the manager most certainly does. He’s spoken recently about the fact that they might need to ask the players to take a wage deferral in the coming weeks, which is harder after spending £50 million.
Jürgen Klopp explains why Liverpool opted not to sign Timo Werner: “All clubs are losing money. How do I discuss with the players about things like salary waivers and on the other hand buy a player for £50-60m – we’d have to explain.” #LFC pic.twitter.com/0BFPZ7Lh0A
— Kevin Palmer (@RealKevinPalmer) June 7, 2020
Imagine your boss explaining to you that the only way that the company that you work for will be able to survive is if you take a wage cut, then a week later he’s pulling into the car park in a brand new Lexus. I don’t imagine you’d be all that pleased with his behaviour and the Liverpool players couldn’t be expected to be too happy either. The reality is we have simply no idea what state the world is going to be in when the Coronavirus crisis has eventually been fixed, but it’s unlikely to be a particularly healthy one. The club’s income has been severely dented by what’s happened and the coffers will take a while to refill, especially with the players needing to be paid in the meantime. FSG are making a decision that will benefit the club in the long-term, even if there’s a short-term disappointment for certain sections of the fanbase. The club still being a going concern in a couple of years’ time is their immediate priority.
We Won’t Suffer As Much As Some Are Thinking
Perhaps the main point that needs be borne in mind when considering the club’s stance on Timo Werner is that we’re unlikely to be hit that much by not signing him. Yes, Chelsea will improve at our expense by bringing him in but it’s worth remembering that they’re currently thirty-four points behind us. Will him signing for them rather than us really see a swing of that magnitude in their favour? Would us signing him instead of them guarantee that that gap wouldn’t be closer next season anyway? Before FSG arrived and started to get to grips with the English game, Liverpool were unquestionably seen as a stepping stone club for players. Now we’ve got the best goalkeeper and central defender in the world as well as some of the best attackers, with the decision for them to move on being the manager’s and not theirs. One player not joining us in this weirdest and most unpredictable of summers doesn’t change that.
Imagine thinking one of the best sporting franchises in FSG , the best coach in Klopp and the best sporting director in Edwards don’t have plans in place to make sure we don’t “stand still “. 😳 #LFC
— Grizz* (@GrizzKhan) June 7, 2020
The Coronavirus pandemic will impact virtually all Premier League clubs, with the only ones it won’t have too much of an effect on being those owned by billionaires. FSG were never going to run Liverpool in anything other than a financially responsible manner and I personally am all in favour of that. The transfer window isn’t even open yet, so we have no idea how the Liverpool squad is going to look when the next season gets underway; whenever that will be. One thing we do know is that players like Sadio Mané, Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk, who hadn’t had a decent rest in years, will come back full rested and raring to go. It’s a cliché to say that they’ll be like new signings, but they’ll definitely be keen to prove that they’re fitter than they’ve ever been. If we sell a number of players who are surplus to requirements then we may still go in for the likes of Jadon Sancho or Kai Havertz, but for now I understand and support the club’s decision.
