It was a deal that came out of the blue and handed Liverpool fans a most welcome Christmas present.
On Boxing Day it emerged that Liverpool were close to an agreement with PSV Eindhoven for their Dutch international Cody Gakpo, the 23-year-old winger a player on many a club radar in recent months after his fine performances in the Eredivise.
Manchester United had for some time looked the most likely destination for Gakpo, but with talks opened on Christmas Eve and a deal all tied up with a medical completed by December 28, Liverpool clinched the £37m deal, which could rise to £44m and stole a march on their rivals to make a key addition at a crucial time having lost both Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota to injury.
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Liverpool needed a lift and so did the fans after weeks of uncertainty swirling around Anfield following the revelations that owners Fenway Sports Group would consider a full sale of the club, followed by the reveal that sporting director Julian Ward would be leaving his post at the end of this season. All of this arrived at a time when Liverpool were in need of transfer spend and were suffering a major hangover from last season's remarkable exploits, having laboured in the Premier League for large periods pre-World Cup.
The deal for Gakpo hands Liverpool a major boost heading into 2023, with the Reds needing to be firing on all cylinders if they are to make the top four and qualify for the Champions League, something that is of enormous importance to the club's finances and their ability to engage in the transfer market to a significant degree.
There has been much noise around the potential sale of Liverpool ever since FSG's willingness to listen to offers was first revealed by the Athletic. Potential bidders from India, America and the Middle East have all been linked, some claimed to have been further along in the process than others.
But the ECHO has been told on numerous occasions by well placed sources in the US that the preference is not for a full sale, certainly not for principal John W. Henry or some of their major shareholders, and that a "strategic partner" that can provide capital and become an active investor to help target new avenues of growth would be the most satisfactory outcome for FSG unless there is a bid well above and beyond $4bn to come down the tracks. Sources have told the ECHO that while there has been some interest there is "nothing real" that has yet been presented.
Liverpool chairman Tom Werner told the Boston Globe last month that it was a case of "business as usual" despite FSG's search for investment and openness to a full sale were their price tag met. The deal for Gakpo, sanctioned on Christmas Day, points to FSG being committed for a longer period than had been suggested, especially when there is still the need for a major midfield signing or two that is required in either January or the summer.
Signing Gakpo boosts Liverpool's chances of making the top four come the end of this season, something that has become a critical part of the club's business model. And while a failure to make it has been suggested in some quarters as potentially having a damaging impact on the valuation of the club, the likelihood is that any impact would be minimal, with football team valuations having proved pretty resilient, something that can be seen with how Manchester United's ownership still feel that they can command a major price for the club despite them no longer being a shoo-in for Champions League football. It is the size of the club, the brand, the commercial partnerships and the access to a global fan base that makes them appealing to potential new owners or investors, and one season outside of the Champions League would do little to dim the appeal, especially if new owners had plans to spend big anyway.
The signing of Gakpo is a backing of Klopp and also a deal done that chimes with the way that the Reds have tended to go about their business in the transfer market in more recent years, mirroring to some degree the signing of Diaz in January where he was seen as undervalued and having a high ceiling for future growth.
With FSG understood to not be close to any kind of major deal with regards to their ownership the addition of Gakpo to the ranks suggests a longer term play is still on the agenda.
Speaking to the ECHO last month, sports lawyer and author of the book 'Done Deal', Daniel Geey, who has been involved in a number of high profile football club takeovers, explained the approach of owners in the transfer market whose clubs may be on the market.
"When a takeover goes on, until a deal is done there are rules around new owners materially influencing decisions," said Geey.
"What tends to happen is that owners will be more cautious about big signings or deals because ultimately things are paused or put on hold if new owners want to view a deal. Generally, buyers and sellers would have to be on the same page over big spending."
This is a deal that ties in with FSG's way of running the football club, and in finalising the signing of the Dutchman it signals that the Reds owners are seeking to stick to their plan unless a major offer arrives that is simply too good to turn down.
Liverpool pressed the button to make a move for Gakpo happen, taking away one of Manchester United's major targets from under their noses in the process. The ire has already been directed by United fans in the way of the already unpopular Glazer family, although missing out on a deal for a player for a team that they are actively looking to sell in the first part of 2023 will mean that not too much sleep will be lost by the Glazers. Their approach to Gakpo is in contrast with Liverpool's despite many comparisons having been made with both clubs said to be on the market, albeit with very different levels of urgency.
How the search for midfield additions in January and the summer pan out will give an even greater indication as to the direction of traffic with regards to a potential sale. As it stands, little has materially changed since the beginning of November.
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