What's that old saying? Business is business. It’s nothing personal.
The problem is that following a football club is very personal.
That’s why Manchester United fans have taken to the streets around Old Trafford to protest furiously about the Glazer's ownership of their club.
And why Newcastle United supporters partied like it was 1999 when Mike Ashley departed and a group of fabulously wealthy Saudi sheikhs came to Toon.
It’s also why, when the Fenway Sports Group announced that it was ready to listen to offers about the future of Liverpool, a shockwave was sent through a fanbase made up of millions of people around the world.
John W. Henry and Tom Werner have said and done all the right things in the 11 years since they brought Liverpool from the brink following the disastrous ownership era of George Gillett and Tom Hicks.
FSG’s one misstep was to embroil itself in the proposed European Super League. It backtracked before it was too late.
I hope that when it comes to either welcoming new investment into Anfield or selling up lock, stock and barrel, the love and affection it has professed for the club doesn’t ring hollow.
Some fans feel the American owners could have done more to provide Jurgen Klopp with the funds to invest further in his squad.
But controlling net-spend has always been a key part of the FSG philosophy.
It hasn't been afraid to spend big when it came to signing star names like Virgil van Dijk, Darwin Nunez and Alisson. It has balanced the books and changed the landscape at Anfield. As well as securing the services of one of the best managers in the world and putting together a team that has won every trophy possible. It has rebuilt the stadium and overseen a state-of-the-art training ground. FSG has been very good for Liverpool.
The club it bought for £300million is now valued at more than £4billion – and that’s where we get back to business. Henry tried to allay fans’ fears when the news broke that a prospectus had been sent out to potential investors by Wall Street brokers.
I am sure that FSG will indeed want to do business with partners or buyers who tick all the right boxes.
I think its passion for Liverpool is genuine and that it would love nothing more than to see the work it has done provide a springboard for even more sustained success.
But is there anyone out there with the squeaky-clean background that Liverpool fans will demand who also happens to have a few billion quid burning a hole in their back pocket?
Football is big business now. Gone are the days when an entrepreneur would bankroll the local club because they were invested emotionally in the team. It’s been said that FSG is walking away from Liverpool because it is unable to compete with Manchester City in the transfer market and wants to pass the baton on to owners who can.
The other theory is that the Super League was always its end-game and that it now wants out after the backlash that the proposal generated. I think there may be elements of truth in both of those theories.
If one prospective buyer offers FSG billions more than a rival bidder, is it really going to turn it down?
Liverpool fans have never been slow to voice their disapproval if they feel something isn’t right about their football club.
But they have got to be realistic about what the future is going to bring.
Billionaires tend to do what’s best for them. It’s a natural instinct.
