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Fenway Sports Group are aiming to add another football team to their portfolio having owned Liverpool since 2010.
Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) are considering their next purchase.
The Boston-based firm already boast an impressive portfolio but are looking to add another team. FSG have owned the Reds since 2010, with seven major trophies won during that time, as well as Anfield stadium being expanded to a 61,000 capacity. Meanwhile, John Henry & Co. hold the keys to iconic MLB side the Boston Red Sox, NHL outfit the Pittsburgh Penguins and have a 50 per cent stake in NASCAR’s RFK Racing.
In addition, they are the owners of Tomorrow’s Golf League franchise Boston Common and last year spearheaded a consortium to invest in up to $3 billion in the PGA Tour. However, FSG are looking for their next venture in football.
Edwards return
In March 2024, the American company brought back Michael Edwards, who was Liverpool’s famed sporting director, to help sign Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Sadio Mane, Alisson Becker and Roberto Firmino among many others. Edwards was handed the role of CEO of football for FSG as they set their sights on new acquisitions. He said: “It was vital for me that, if I did return, it had to be with renewed vigour and energy. In practice, this means having fresh challenges and opportunities.
“As such, one of the biggest factors in my decision is the commitment to acquire and oversee an additional club, growing this area of their organisation. I believe that to remain competitive, investment and expansion of the current football portfolio is necessary.
“With Liverpool FC, I will oversee the required reinforcement of football operations, with a number of essential leadership positions needing urgent attention. I know from personal experience what a wonderful job Mike Gordon has done with day-to-day oversight on behalf of his fellow owners. Going forward I’m looking forward to working with FSG’s Board of Managers. Also, in assuming this role, I fully understand that it comes with great expectations, and I therefore intend to identify, hire, and subsequently empower leaders who meet and embody the club’s values and ambitions.”
FSG explore Malaga purchase
FSG did explore buying French side Bordeaux, who were relegated to the fourth tier because of financial issues but withdrew ‘following extensive and constructive discussions with all stakeholders’.
According to The Athletic, FSG have now been looking at another potential sleeping giant. Malaga have been in the second tier of Spanish football since 2018. Los Albicelestes reached the Champions League quarter-finals in 2013 when knocked out by Jurgen Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund in dramatic circumstances.
Sheikh Abdullah Al Thani, who is from the Qatari ruling family, owns 51 per cent of Malaga. That is the shareholding that FSG are interested in rather than the 49 per cent owned by Spanish hotel and real estate group Blue Bay. FSG believe ‘ is an opportunity to restore Malaga to the upper echelons of the Spanish and European game’. An FSG spokesperson told The Athletic that ‘it routinely engages in conversations and evaluates opportunities across global sports, a common process to assess ventures that align with the organisation’s strategic priorities’.
However, Paris Saint-Germain’s owners, Qatar Sports Investments, have also been exploring a deal to purchase Malaga, who are in administration and under judicial control.