While Liverpool continues to be run relatively well by Fenway Sports Group in the background, the Reds don't have to look too far to see an example of poor ownership
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, as Liverpool are crowned the Champions of the Premier League for the 2024/25 Season
Liverpool fans will be hoping that FSG can continue to run the club well(Image: (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images))
If Liverpool fans are ever feeling down about the current situation at the club, then they don't have to look too far to see an example of a club that will make supporters realize that it could, truly, be much worse at Anfield.
Manchester United, once the model club that became a winning machine in the late 1990s and the 2000s through to the early 2010s, has been at yet another low. With a poor start to the season, sitting just above the Premier League drop zone on goal difference, the Red Devils have truly looked bereft of confidence, quality, and direction.
While the problems currently sit at the feet of Michael Carrick, the issues at Old Trafford extend well before his time at the club, and they will exist far beyond his time if the current trajectory continues. Concerns over the way that Man United has been run are not new, but there are questions about what rock bottom could truly look like for a team that seems to return there at regular intervals.
The ownership model has largely been to blame for most of the supporters, with the Glazer family's leveraged buyout of the club back in 2005 viewed as the genesis of the issues. The Old Trafford outfit has been saddled with debt, now topping well over $1 billion, while performances and results on the pitch have continued to deteriorate over the long-term.
The concern for Man United fans is that there is a fear the Glazers won't interfere while there is still money on the table, and the latest comments from Avram Glazer certainly suggest that.
The Athletic reports that the owner recently spoke to an audience of financiers and told them that teams of his club's level are not dependent on success on the pitch to land commercial success away from it. It was claimed that the variance suffered by other sports teams is not felt by a side like Manchester United, similar to other huge sporting franchises.
It echoes similar claims from former executive chairman Ed Woodward, after reports claimed in 2018 that he told the investors in a group call that performances on the pitch do not impact the commercial side of the business.
That hammers home the overall malaise currently seen with the Red Devils, with that lack of hands-on care for the performances reflecting on the product currently seen on the pitch. It's a reality that could, and should, scare other fanbases about the possibility that ownerships in the Premier League could just default to a similar way of operating.
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, Theodore Theodoridis UEFA General Secretary, Avram Glazer Co-Chairman of Manchester United and Sir Jim Ratcliffe Manchester United Co-Owner look on from the tribune prior to kick off in the UEFA Europa League Final 2025 between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United
Avram Glazer has been discussing Manchester United's commercial ability(Image: (Photo by Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images))
For Liverpool, there has always been some fear that the current owners, Fenway Sports Group (FSG), could look to push maximize the club's revenues to an extreme. To their credit, the American investors have taken care with the Reds, albeit with some bumps in the road along the way.
The European Super League fiasco and an increase in ticket prices have been the main areas of concern among the Anfield faithful, but the ownership has known when to back down and learn from their experiences at the right time. The 2024/25 accounts showed profitability, while net debt decreased to below the $400 million mark.
That hasn't come at the cost of investment on the playing side, as the previous summers have shown that there is a clear desire to put money into the sporting department. Where FSG has gained financially is through divesting its shares, with 1892 Holdings, a group comprising of Amit Bhatia, Jeff Bezos, and Eduardo Saverin among other investors, buying a roughly 38 per cent stake in the club, which valued it at around the $6 billion mark and above.
There may naturally be questions about the desire to invest long-term, and whether the ownership group could become a "lame duck" while the next potential owner in-waiting is sitting there with a large stake. However, the next moves will determine the plan for the future.
Liverpool's main priority has to be in gaining stability, both on and off the pitch. In recent years, there has been a churn of people across the whole club. Whether it has been a huge change of players, recent coaching changes, or even the moves in the sporting departments, with as many as three sporting directors in four years, it's clear that clarity is needed.
If the Reds are to find success again, it requires clear thinking and a vision from the top down. Man United and the Glazers are an example of what happens when there is not a hands-on approach, and the Anfield outfit cannot afford such a laissez faire view from the top during such a rebuild, otherwise it risks becoming the next Man United.
In a business that is so dependent on the good will of owners, Liverpool must simply hope like every other club, that the right people remain in charge for the foreseeable future.