Liverpool are one of the richest and most successful clubs not just in England but in Europe as a whole. Every successful football club is an attestation to the good investment made by the owners and Liverpool Football Club is definitely not an exemption to that. In this article, we’ll take a complete breakdown of investment and net spend the Liverpool owners – FSG have made towards their club Liverpool.
The Fenway Sports Group purchased Liverpool Football Club on the 15th of October 2010 for a sum of £300 million. It was purchased from the hands of Tom Hicks and George Filler Jnr who were the owners of the club for three years, from the 26th of March when they acquired it up until the day they transferred ownership to FSG in 2010.
Prior to the season, FSG claimed ownership of Liverpool, the club had quite a decent season finishing 2nd in the Premier League – just 4 points behind eventual league winners Manchester United, reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League and knocked out in the 4th round of both the FA Cup and League Cup with Rafael Benitez as their manager.
Being led by John William Henry, an American businessman, The Fenway Sports Group saw Liverpool as a big asset that could deliver huge returns if invested. Without any further ado, let’s take a look at Liverpool’s net spend under FSG.
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Liverpool’s Total Net Spend Under FSG
Net Spend, as regards football, refers to the total amount spent by a football club to purchase players after deducting the amount realized in the sale of other players. It is simply money spent minus money received.
The table below shows a complete overview of Liverpool’s total net spend under the Fenway Sports Group from the year 2011.
| Year | Money Spent | Money Received | Net Spend (Million) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | £57.8m | £55.8m | £2 |
| 2011/12 | £53.48m | £23.3m | £30.18 |
| 2012/13 | £49.9m | £13m | £36.9 |
| 2013/14 | £41.3m | £28.7m | £12.6 |
| 2014/15 | £116.85m | £78.5m | £38.35 |
| 2015/16 | £93.85m | £70.4m | £23.45 |
| 2016/17 | £63.95m | £85.57m | -£21.85 |
| 2017/18 | £167.9m | £185.7m | -£17.8 |
| 2018/19 | £175.2m | £33.5m | £141.7 |
| 2019/20 | £8m | £46.2m | -£38.2 |
| 2020/21 | £86.65m | £52.6m | £34.05 |
| 2021/22 | £86m | £523m | £33.7 |
| 2022/23 | £136.2m | £71.6m | £64.6 |
| Total | £373.88 |
Key Insight On Liverpool Netspend
From the table above, Liverpool, under the Fenway Sports Group, have a total net spend of £373.88m from January 2011 up till the just concluded 2022/23 season. The first signing of their era was Luis Suarez which they signed for £22.8m. This turned out to be one of the best signings in the history of the club as Suarez went on to score 82 goals in all competitions for Liverpool.
The Reds have also made good sales from the sales of certain players, one of which being Philippe Coutinho which they sold for a world record of £143m to Barcelona in the summer of 2018, being one of the most remarkable businesses in football’s history.
Another interesting stat that can be derived from the table above is the average net spend per season for Liverpool under FSG ownership. To calculate this, we can divide the total net spend (£373.88m) by the number of seasons represented in the table (12 seasons).
Average Net Spend per Season = Total Net Spend / Number of Seasons. Hence, £373.88m / 12 seasons.
Therefore, Average Net Spend per Season ≈ £31.16m.
This stat can provide insights into the club’s financial strategy and investment patterns over the years. It suggests that, on average, Liverpool has maintained a relatively moderate net spend per season under FSG, indicating a balanced approach to transfers and player acquisitions.
Liverpool’s Top 5 Most Expensive Signings Under FSG
With the number of signings Liverpool have done under FSG, we decided to look at the top 5 most expensive signings under the consortium.
1.) Darwin Nunez – £85.6m (from Benfica, 2022)
Darwin Nunez became the most expensive signing for Liverpool in the summer of 2022 after he was signed from Benfica.
The Uruguayan impressed Liverpool’s scout after an impressive 2021/22 season after he scored 34 goals in 41 games in all competitions.
Darwin Nunez hasn’t had the best start to his Liverpool career after only scoring 15 goals in 42 games.
2.) Virgil van Dijk – £76.2m (from Southampton, 2018)
Virgil Van Djik became the most expensive defender in world football in 2018 as he was acquired for £75m from Southampton.
On what looks like an outrageous amount of money to get a defender, Van Djik went ahead to prove his doubters wrong as he was solid in Liverpool’s defence, being a vital player in their Premier League and Champions League triumphs.
Van Dijk also emerged as UEFA Defender of the Season in 2019 and finished 2nd in the Ballon d’Or rankings.
He’s regarded as one of the best signings in the FSG era and one of the defenders of his generation.
3.) Alisson – £56.3m (from Roma, 2018)
Liverpool had too many goalkeeper problems with Simon Mignolet and then Loris Karius and hoped to end the woos with the signing of the Brazilian goalie Alison Becker.
Alison has been a very reliable goalkeeper for the Mighty Reds keeping 27 clean sheets in his first season in all competitions and also winning the Goalkeeper of the Year in 2019.
Liverpool fans will definitely not forget his stoppage-time-winning goal against West Brom that helped the team for the Champions League the next season.
Alison Becker has definitely provided good value for the amount used to sign him.
4) Naby Keita – £54m (from RB Leipzig, 2018)
The Guinea International arrived at Anfield in 2018 from RB Leipzig. He was brought to boost the midfield options for Liverpool but things haven’t worked out well for him as injuries and lack of form have made things difficult for him to find his way to Jurgen Klopp’s starting XI.
An amazing talent Naby Keita was for RB Leipzig but couldn’t replicate such form for Liverpool.
5.) Cody Gakpo – £50m (from PSV, 2023)
Their most recent signing Cody Gakpo became one of the best young talents in Europe after some impressive performances and stats for PSV scoring 21 goals in 47 games the season before he was signed and also becoming and winning the Dutch Footballer of the Year.
Gakpo also impressed a lot of football clubs in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, helping his country to a quarter-final finish.
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Conclusion
The Fenway Sports Group have invested quite a lot of money and made good business deals with Liverpool Football Club with a total net spend of £373.88m as started earlier and also won trophies in the same process.
Although Liverpool haven’t spent as much as the other rich clubs like Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, Barcelona etc, they’ve been able to achieve quite a lot with the amount they’ve invested.
They know how to do business unlike Manchester United.