Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group are reportedly discussing a sale of NHL team Pittsburgh Penguins
Tom Werner, Chairman of Liverpool, Michael Gordon, President of Fenway Sports Group and John Henry, Principle Owner of Liverpool and his wife Linda Pizzuti Henry pose for a photograph with the Premier League trophy
Liverpool chairman Tom Werner, Fenway Sports Group president Michael Gordon, principle owner of Liverpool John Henry, and his wife Linda Pizzuti Henry pose with the Premier League trophy
(Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group are said to be in talks over the proposed sale of National Hockey League franchise Pittsburgh Penguins. If it were to go through, it could net the company a sizeable profit on their investment.
Boston-based FSG came into control of Liverpool when their £300m takeover went through in 2010. Since, their methodical project has seen success restored to Anfield with two Premier League titles, one Champions League victory, an expansion of the stadium to a 61,276 capacity, and the club has also moved into a state of the art training facility.
That is before mentioning the £446m investment they have made in the transfer market this summer, allowing Arne Slot and Richard Hughes to build upon last season's title-winning team. This broke the record for an amount spent by a single club in one window, and included two separate British-record transfers for Florian Wirtz then Alexander Isak.
The Reds are just one of principle owner John W. Henry's many sporting interests and investments, which as of 2021 also included the Pittsburgh Penguins.
They acquired the ice hockey team for a reported $900m (£665m) four years ago. However, it has not been an especially successful adventure for Henry and FSG - for both sporting and financial reasons.
Five-time winners of the Stanley Cup, the Penguins have now failed to make the NHL play-offs for three successive seasons. FSG also came into the sport at a time where attendance figures are down, reports The Athletic, and when teams typically make almost half of their business from ticket sales.
However, this is through no fault of Liverpool's owners. Ice hockey is undergoing a significant rebuilding process which is set to see two new teams added to expand the league within the next couple of years.
This is set to flood the NHL with hundreds of millions of dollars, considerably enhancing the value of all NHL teams. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported that FSG could easily net around $1.75bn (£1.3bn) if they sell the Penguins - almost doubling their £665m investment in just four years.
Henry is believed to be considering this possibility now with suitors already spoken of who could meet the demand.
Last month, The Athletic stated the Hoffmann Family - a Chicago-based group that owns minor professional hockey team Florida Everblades - are in the mix. Discussions are said to be underway but otherwise FSG are continuing to 'operate as usual'.
A more recent version of events, again from The Athletic, revealed that a group that includes the former owner who sold to FSG, Mario Lemieux, alongside Ron Burkle and David Morehouse, are 'still intrigued' by the thought of reclaiming the Penguins.
Ultimately their ability to pull off such a deal has come into question with the asking price believed to be far beyond their capabilities.
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