Multi-million pound owners would normally suggest that there's cash in the attic as far as the saying goes, but is Liverpool's attic full of has-beens in the money situation?
In today's footballing world, let alone the whole of society, money happens to be one of the main ways to success and happiness. No matter who you were or what you believed, you would admit that money does make the world go around. Right? However is this the case for Rafael Benitez and the whole of the Anfield board?
Back in January 07, the plans were nearing finalisation, when Tom Hicks and George Gillett announced that they were to become the new owners of Liverpool FC with a takeover bid in the range of £300-£400 million.
Liverpool fans were in dreamland; With a great spine to the team, a tactical genius in the eyes of Rafael Benitez and a promising youth team, the final piece in Rafa's revolution was beginning to fit into place-the will to spend, and spend big.
Chelsea here we come?
Tom Hicks and George Gillett. Early preparation, interviews and background work would begin to surpass showing two American tycoons, both with a lot of money, with one owning the Texas Rangers baseball team and the Dallas Stars ice hockey club.
But as time went on and transfer day deadlines approached, Liverpool realised that maybe this wasn't the greatest of moves by Rick Parry and co.
Come summer 2007, and the £21 million transfer of Fernando Torres plus others, surely this was it, Liverpool could establish themselves as title competitors because they have spent so much money! Or have they?
Take Fernando Torres's transfer, plus transfers of other players bought in the summer transfer window of 2007. A total of around £40 million was spent. Or that was how it was portrayed to the public. If you consider transfers out plus the appearance in last years Champions league final, the total comes to around £35 million.
So here already we can see that only £5 million was out of the owners pockets, if that!
And as for this season, for the rumours that have been speculated in the press, the money doesn't seem to spreading either. Swap deals, ridiculous asking prices on players and the deliberate employment of free workers:
Did the new owners leave there money behind when they sailed over the pond?
comments (9) write a comment »
write a new comment
4 months ago
Who knows about the money situation? We probably never will know the entire story but with the current transfers made, Degan(he was on a free transfer ya??) and Dossena at approx. £8 million, its not exactly breakin the bank. Thats not to say they wont be good transfers!! Im sure as the summer approaches, we will get a good idea to how much they are willing to spend and how ambitious they are in the transfer market. They will surely try to get someone to partner Torres and take the weight of ALL the goalscoring from his shoulders.
Still I can see Liverpool making up their money from selling players. Eg. Alonso.
4 months ago
Yeah degan was a free transfer! Thats my point though. we can make the money through other transfers, but any club can do that to raise money for new players. we were expecting huge sums of money going through the club and spending huge sums of money, then the money we have sold players for can actually become a bonus! or just make a little bit of profitable income.
4 months ago
Nice piece Sam. I'm sure the Liverpool fans will have some good views.
4 months ago
same coments every year, and im fed up, what we need to finaly do is spend and spend big, if the yanks cant produce the cash then DIC will, we cant afford to lose time on rivals, we have to spend on wide areas and full backs and it has to be quality players this time. QUERASMA is the player rafa must go all out and bring to mersyside, but please please do it now or we will lose out!!!!!!!
4 months ago
We have to be consistent in the players we buy, aswell as spending big and being effiecient. There can be no more £7-11m buys of half decent players or unheard of players, we need to go straight in at the deep end and buy well established, top qulaity players that will shine and make liverpool shine as they should. i dont want to be hearing players such as dossena and degan coming, i want to hear we are being linked with, as you said queresma, aswell as players like milito, villa. Also going to have to widen out talent scouts further than spain. look abroad in south america and italy and france. Ribery would be a quality buy aswell. its time for a huge change
4 months ago
What your saying is follow, an almost Real Madrid method, buy Galacticos. Forget about defenders, 'Dossena and Degan' and buy attackers. Looking at the methods Liverpool have used to win trophies in the previous four years, i would have thought you would apreciate the importance of good defensive foundations and strict dicipline. Queresma has showen throughout his short career that discipline doesnt come easily to him, i couldnt see him grafting and following Benitez's strict instructions like players such as Kuyt and Gerrard, frequently played out of there favoured positions.
4 months ago
I think that the money is there, but in the first season the owners were content with signing a big name, torres, and a couple of young talents, babel and skrtel to keep the fans happy, whilst they planned to put the majority of their money into the new stadium. Either this or they seriously underestimated the amount of spending it takes to compete in the Premiership these days.
However now that they have fallen out, I can't see Rafa getting much support from them money wise, the sales of Kewell, a player who rafa has always favoured despite frequent injury, and quite a few other players indicate a clear out at Anfield, the real question is whether what replaces them will be any better, or whether we'll get in a few more Craig Bellamy's, Andre Voronin's and Gabriel Palletta's...
4 months ago
hi
4 months ago
liverpool football club want to re establish themselves as a big player in the tital race true? without two good sides we will never achieve that we don't want to spend big like other great sides. Plus rafa benitez goes for players that arent established players or players that he thinks will be great signings that turn out to be crap e.g. morientes
we need the right players with the right cash
hicks and gillet out
write a new comment