Liverpool Sale Completed, Nightmare Ended
Thousands of reasons for both Roy Hodgson and chairman Martin Broughton to be happy
Champagne can be drunk in Liverpool. Liverpool sale has been completed, New England Sports Ventures announces. NESV principal owner John Henry came out and confirmed the purchase. “On behalf of the entire NESV partnership, I want to express how incredibly proud and humbled we are to be confirmed as the new owners of Liverpool FC.” Thus, the two-week nightmare has ended, too. There were tough moments which saw chairman Martin Broughton even in jail. But it is Friday that Henry, Broughton, Thomas Werner and also Roy Hodgson who looked happier than every good result that may get Liverpool out of the relegation zone. In this way, the team won’t be penalized with nine points as expected, the Royal Bank of Scotland being now very close to get its money.
It’s been two weeks of tense moments in which neither Liverpool board, nor Hicks and Gillett seemed to give up. John Henry continued his statement mentioning that the new officials regard their own role as that of stewards for the club, with a primary focus on returning the Reds to greatness on and off the field for the long-term. “We are committed first and foremost to winning. We have a history of winning, and today we want LFC supporters to know that this approach is what we intend to bring to this great Club,” he added. Then, Broughton followed. He looked delighted that they have been able to successfully conclude the sale process which last for too long. He wanted to announce in the same time that the board decided to accept NESV as their new owner. “The Board decided to accept NESV’s offer on the basis that it best met the criteria we set out originally for a new owner. NESV is buying Liverpool in order to put it on an excellent financial footing and continue to develop it internationally. This is a good deal which comprehensively resolves the pressing issue of the Club’s debt and should give staff, players and fans great confidence regarding the future of Liverpool FC.”
New England Sports Ventures chairman Thomas Werner too came out with a statement. “We recognize that Liverpool Football Club is an historic institution ultimately grounded in the community and the fans. Our first step as new owners will be to listen. We want to hear from the Manager and the players and those who are part of the daily operation of the Club. We will be visible at Anfield and will embrace and listen to those who have stood by this Club and who are the rock on which its future success will be built. We want to hear from the fans, local leaders and the local community. We want to hear from those who know LFC best, who have made it the best and share our desire to return to a culture of winning.” He continued though to claim that NESV is committed to creating long-term, financially strong foundation for the club, one that will be dedicated to ensuring the club has the financial resources to be successful again and attract the best players towards Anfield. He added that the transaction has been structured in such way as to eliminate all the acquisition debt on the club.
Furthermore, the new ownership will work in the coming months with the Liverpool’s executive team to listen and learn about every facet of the organization, during which the new owners will start to focus on the greatest opportunities to increase the appeal of the club inside and outside England. NESV wants showed eager on creating a culture and environment to allow people to excel at the club on every front. The new officials will also begin examining the opportunities to enhance the match-day experience in the short-term, while studying the various long-term options that may be possible. Both Henry and Werner added that they are eager to commence with their new plan and spend time with the organization, including its leadership, supporters and local communities.
They are expected to take these steps alongside the club’s executives with a shared objective of stabilizing the club and then returning Liverpool to its rightful place in English and European soccer. Finally, Reds’ new coach Roy Hodgson has welcomed once again the new owners after days of bitter legal wrangling have surrounded the club. Despite further litigation may follow in which the former owners asked for a $1.6 billion damages, both Hicks and Gillett have been expelled from Liverpool. During his preparation for Sunday’s local derby against Everton, Hodgson didn’t miss the opportunity to praise club’s success on the sale. “It is a very positive situation, if that is the case, and a very good day for the club – a day everyone at the club will welcome and the new owners will welcome. It is a relief. It has been a very difficult couple of weeks.”
Former Europa League runner-up coach added in the same time that it’s been a bad time for this long drawn-out court battle to take place and Liverpool’s name to be on the television screens and in the newspapers ever day for anything other than positive reasons. No matter how hard some tried to hide their emotions on the club’s fate, including the coach himself and the players, this can be easily seen now. They look very happy, all of them. Hodgson acknowledged that they had to live through that bad time but hopefully now, if NESV are going to take over, that would be very good news for the team going into the important match at the weekend against Everton. They will surely do it more relief. Added the coach: “All people and clubs need stability, all managers and players need stability and it is becoming a very hard thing to find. We live in a world where you are either on top or at the bottom and the middle line is not appreciated by the mass media.”
Former Fulham manager expressed his hope of new owners’ capability to bring stabilization to the club. He also expects them to give the team a chance to concentrate on the work. Furthermore, new the situation came to a happy end, Hodgson is already thinking about investing in players in different ways. It is also clear that he will be able now to buy new players if needed. “The mere fact the club will be taken over and the debts wiped off immediately puts us into a different financial position to the one we have been in.” He revealed also that he already spoke with the new owners, whom he welcomed. Said of his conversation with John W Henry that the two discussed on general things, mentioning though that his position to the club hasn’t been debated. “He called me and his message was that he was hoping the deal would go through, he was very much looking forward to becoming the new owner and he was looking forward to working with me and the people who were here but we didn’t talk about investment.”
