For all of the success that Liverpool have experienced over the last five years or so, there has been an undercurrent present among the fan base when it comes to discussing the club's owners.
It is clear that Fenway Sports Group (FSG) have favoured a sustainable approach to running the club. They try to avoid handing out huge transfer fees for players, while their wages do not tend to match what is on offer at some of Europe's other biggest sides.
None of that has limited their successes on the pitch, with Liverpool winning every major honour available to them since the 2018/19 season.
In saying that, not all are happy under FSG's stewardship.
There has been a sense that the club have not capitalised on their position of strength in the transfer market, especially in the summers of 2019 and 2020 when they were on the back of Champions League and Premier League triumphs respectively. This year, they failed to invest in the midfield despite the obvious issues in that area.
In fact, they have signed only one senior midfielder (Thiago Alcantara) since 2018. As a result the team has been allowed to become stale, the results of which have been seen in the early portion of the current campaign.
Considering all of this, it should not come as a surprise that today's news has been welcomed in many quarters.
David Ornstein of The Athletic reported this afternoon that FSG are open to selling Liverpool and are inviting offers for the club.
🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Liverpool have been put up for sale by Fenway Sports Group. Sale deck has been produced for interested parties. Goldman Sachs + Morgan Stanley assisting evaluation process. Unclear if deal gets done but FSG inviting offers @TheAthleticFC #LFC https://t.co/hdmPKeb1ec
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) November 7, 2022
This seems like a major change in stance from the ownership group, who always seemed steadfast in their commitment to staying on Merseyside for the long-term.
While there is no guarantee that they will sell, the minds of some supporters are already racing about the possibilities that lay in front of the club. Perhaps they should be careful what they wish for.
Liverpool fans need to careful in their wishes for new owners
It is clear that FSG have misread the room on a number of occasions during their Liverpool tenure.
They have backtracked on quite a few decisions due to fan reaction, including the raising of ticket prices, an attempt to trademark the word 'Liverpool', and their mission to join the European Super League. Their failings in the transfer market over the last couple of seasons should also be brought under the microscope.
However, they have invested in other areas such as the development of Anfield and the building of a new training ground. The club is in a much better place than it was when they took over.
Who is to say that the club would continue to move forward under a new ownership group?
Liverpool fans don't have to look too far back into the past to see what having the wrong people in charge of the club can do. The tenure of Tom Hicks and George Gillett had Liverpool on the brink of going bankrupt just over a decade ago.
ON THIS DAY 2007: Tom Hicks and George Gillett were part of a consortium that took over Liverpool.
That went well then. pic.twitter.com/kcufTuA3Yg— Squawka (@Squawka) February 6, 2018
That is of course a worst case scenario, one that looks unlikely to be replicated in current climate.
Whoever does come in, more investment in players will be the main ask from much of the supporters base.
Where the money comes from should be of concern. Do Liverpool fans want their club to end up like Manchester City, PSG, or Newcastle, a vehicle for nation states with questionable human rights records to soften their global image?
As a proud sporting institution with incredible history, it would be a sorry state of affairs to see Liverpool go down this route. Perhaps some would be comfortable with that as long as it result on more trophies on the pitch.
Is that worth selling the very essence of the club for? You would hope that most would argue it is not.
There is probably a happy medium here. FSG could sell the club to another investor, one without moral quandaries linked to their ownership that will look to splash the cash. Todd Boehly has followed that route at Chelsea, although it remains to be seen how much success he will bring to Stamford Bridge.
You'd imagine that the recipe of continued high level of investment into the team, good footballing structures, and Jurgen Klopp at the helm would be a successful one.
None of this is is to say FSG are perfect owners. There are very valid criticisms to be made of their running of the club.
Perhaps new owners will provide all of the things that are currently missing at Liverpool. However, the fans should not be willing to sell the soul of the club to a nation state in order to fund a new team.
They need to be careful what they wish for.
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