Here is your Liverpool digest for Friday, March 11.
Third FSG project takes shape at Liverpool after £250m mark reached
Liverpool's managing director believes the Anfield Road expansion is a "real statement" from owners Fenway Sports Group to their long-term commitment at the club.
Liverpool's latest move to take their capacity up to 61,000 is continuing at pace, with completion on the 7,000-seat project still expected in time for the start of the 2023/24 campaign.
Those proposals were initially slated to cost around £60m but have since risen by a third up to £80m as a result of the pandemic.
The Anfield Road expansion will be the third major project undertaken during the FSG era following the £110m Main Stand increase in 2016 and the opening of the £50m AXA Training Centre in November of 2020.
Club MD, Mr Hughes, who was speaking at an update on the Anfield Road expansion on Thursday, believes the investment in the infrastructure is proof of FSG's desire to keep the Reds functioning as a self-sustainable business at the elite end of football.
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And at a time when Premier League rivals Chelsea are seeing their owner, Roman Abramovich, have wide-ranging sanctions placed on the club by the UK Government, Mr Hughes says it is vital for Liverpool to continue operating within their own business model.
"It's absolutely critical to safeguard the future," Mr Hughes told the ECHO.
"We've been working on these projects for a long time.
"The Main Stand has gone well, the training ground has gone well and we're on track with this project as well.
"I think we will have spent over £250m on infrastructure for the long-term at the club, which I think is a real statement from the owners for the future of Liverpool Football Club."
READ THE FULL STORY HERE.
Three Liverpool stars miss training
Liverpool are busy gearing up for their return to Premier League action this weekend when they face Brighton.
The Reds travel to the Amex Stadium looking to once again close the gap on leaders Manchester City in the league table.
Jurgen Klopp’s side are six points behind City with a game in hand, as the season begins to near its conclusion.
Ahead of the trip to the south coast, Liverpool’s players have been working hard at the AXA Training Centre in preparation for the match.
Here is a look at some of the things we spotted from Liverpool’s latest training session.
Bobby looks set for return but others missing
Some good news on the injury front sees Roberto Firmino looks primed to make his first-team return.
Klopp said last week before the win over West Ham that the Brazilian had been in training - and he was seen in images put out on March 7 - but he is yet to return to the matchday squad.
Firmino has been sidelined with an injury since the first leg victory over Inter Milan last month, and has missed Liverpool’s last six matches across four competitions.
Now that Firmino seems to be back fully integrated with the first-team’s training session, it looks like Brighton could mark his return from injury in some capacity.
Yet there were questions over Thiago Alcantara, Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate who were not pictured in images released by the club.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE.
