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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Richard Garnett

Robbie Fowler gives blunt verdict on potential Liverpool sale and sends FSG warning

Fenway Sports Group have been 'very good' for Liverpool but the possible sale of the club is just business, according to Robbie Fowler.

The American consortium, who took control of Anfield back in 2010, caused quite a stir last week as news broke of a possible sale of the club. FSG themselves issued a statement that accepted they were looking for new investment but with the club now valued somewhere between £3-4billion - at least 10 times more than what they paid for it - a complete sale is a distinct possibility.

The development has sparked contrasting views amongst the Liverpool supporter base, with some enthused at the prospect of gaining a billionaire owner with money to spend and others more concerned about who will ultimately assume control of the club if FSG depart. But former Kop hero Fowler, insists that no-one can have any complaints about the situation either way.

READ MORE: Liverpool 'approached' by Mukesh Ambani as world's eighth-richest man latest linked with FSG sale

READ MORE: Jurgen Klopp makes 'really important' Darwin Nunez point after Liverpool beat Southampton

Writing in his regular column for the Mirror, Fowler said: "What's that old saying? Business is business. It’s nothing personal. 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."

Rumours about who could buy Liverpool are likely to stick around for some time, with groups in America, the Middle East and India all reported to have expressed an interest already.

But Fowler bluntly expressed his view that although he expects the current custodians to still act in the best interests of the club, a significant offer from one bidder could outweigh any other considerations.

He wrote: "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.

"If one prospective buyer offers FSG billions more than a rival bidder, is it really going to turn it down?"

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