Liverpool chairman Tom Werner says that team owners have to be able to take criticism from supporters.
Fenway Sports Group have been coming under fire on both sides of the Atlantic in recent months for similar things, with some fans of both Liverpool and the Boston Red Sox happy with what has been a perceived lack of investment into the product on the field.
For Liverpool the ire has been directed at FSG due to a lack of transfer spend to address their midfield issues that have been present for some time, and inactivity in two to three transfer windows had created a recruitment problem where a considerable number of their squad are ageing or no longer producing to the levels that they did and need replacing at a similar time. That will likely be a costly exercise for FSG, but it is one that fans want addressed in the January window and not at the end of the season to aid their pursuit of a top four finish that is by no means cut and dried.
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In Boston the anger has been at FSG and principal owner John W. Henry for a similar lack of spend, with Henry booed at Fenway Park, the home of the Red Sox, last week when he attended the NHL Winter Classic between the Boston Bruins and the FSG-owned Pittsburgh Penguins.
The boos arrived after the Red Sox lost their star man from last season's roster, Xander Bogaerts, to the San Diego Padres. The Padres offered more money and a longer term deal and it saw the Red Sox lose a player who had come through their farm system.
It came three years on from the Red Sox trading their All-Star Mookie Betts, who had been key to them winning the 2018 World Series, to Los Angeles. Again, like with Bogaerts, the issue of money and contract length came into play and the Red Sox were unable to keep a player who fans wanted to be the cornerstone of the team for the next decade.
But a week on from Henry being the subject of boos in Boston, Werner was seated at a table with key members of the Boston staff, minus Henry who had a scheduling 'conflict', to speak on the $313.5m, 11-year deal that had been inked with Rafael Devers, another star player that Red Sox fans had wanted to see be part of the long-term future of the team.
FSG and the Red Sox saw it as a statement of their intent and desire to be competitive, but Werner said that any idea that it was born from hearing boos echo around Fenway Park last week was wide of the mark, suggesting that criticism from fans was something that ownership had to be prepared for.
"If the narrative is that might have had an impact on our decision, that’s kind of implausible," Werner told MassLive.com. "By the way, owners get booed and that’s part of the deal. If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen."
Werner also confirmed that FSG were not wanting to sell the Red Sox, as had been rumoured by some in the US after they had made their intentions known to reassess their Liverpool future.
With Liverpool FSG have said that they were exploring a sale, although the ECHO has been told that in order to satisfy partners it would take a major offer above the $4bn valuation to even begin a conversation with the top brass.
The preference, certainly of Henry and some key partners, is to retain control of Liverpool, their most valuable asset in their $10bn portfolio and secure investment through a partial sale to a "strategic partner" who could deliver strategic, scalable capital and bring expertise to the table to allow them to grow revenues to better support on-pitch investment. Sources the ECHO have spoken to in the US say that kind of deal could see a new partner accrete their interest over time to take full control, allowing FSG to not leave money on the table by an early sale and reduce the risk and burden that is placed on them by holding such a significant majority shareholding in the club.
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- Liverpool chairman Tom Werner makes 'not for sale' statement after major Boston Red Sox deal
