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Finance insider says FSG will blow £114m Liverpool record out the water after ‘speaking with executives’

Adam Williams

Mon 24 February 2025 18:45, UK

When it comes to maximising margins, controlling costs, and making data-informed decisions no one does it quite like Liverpool owners FSG.

In a sport charged with such emotion, it is hard to be dispassionate. But FSG approach everything with the cold rationality that has seen them construct a sport𒁃s empire worth around £15bn.

This same analytical approach frustrates many Liverpool fans, even with Arne Slot’s side 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League in a season thꦰat was expected to be one of transition.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LiverpoolLiverpool	27	19	7	1	64	26	38	64
2	ArsenalArsenal	26	15	8	3	51	23	28	53
3	Nottm ForestNottingham Forest	26	14	5	7	44	33	11	47
4	Man CityManchester City	26	13	5	8	52	37	15	44
5	NewcastleNewcastle	26	13	5	8	46	36	10	44
6	B’mouthBournemouth	26	12	7	7	44	30	14	43

Liverpo🦄ol will end the camp♛aign with a positive net spend and will potentially lose Mohamed Salah – who is putting⭕ the rest of the division to his Egyptian scimitar in one𒈔 of the all-time great seasons – for free.

And with Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold’s contract s🏅ituations also unresolved, the Fenway big-picture model is being heavily scrutini☂sed on Merseyside.

Buღt whatever the outcome, the Boston-based owners’ strategy will be deliberate and led by value.

FSG approach recruitment and retention with the same scientific approach that they do Liverpool’s commercial operation, which yielded £297m in 2023-24, a relatively fallow year🍬 on the pitch.

To inform their approach to sponsorship, merchandise and events, Liverpool use the Nielsen Fan Insights platform, which tracks 🐽reta♊il habits and brand recognition among myriad other metrics.

Like all of their peers in elite football, Liverpool are fixated on commercial income. At times, thi💎s has led bedrock supporters feeling alienated and suspicious of FSG’s US franchise-style model of ownership.

Tick✅et prices and their impact on Anfield’s semi-mytholog𒈔ised atmosphere is an area of particular concern for these fans.

When John Henry, principle owner of FSG, suggested that resistance to, higher ticket prices was a barrier to the expansion of Anfield in 2016, there was a major bac🦄klash from fans.

In the end, ღFSG backed down and privately financed the upgrades to the Aꦯnfield Road and Main Stands.

• READ MORE: FSG will be ‘secretly delighted’ as Liverpool using Barcelona as ‘Tro🥂jan horse’ in £266m masterplan

Liverpool to break matchday income record despite price freeze, says football finance expert

Bucking the trend, Liverpool announced last week that general admission and season ticket prices would be frozen for 20꧙25-26.

Liverpool earned £114m through the turnstiles last season, which was a new record for 😼the club.

Across the division, clubs have recognised that media income is relatively static and the commercial market is ultra-competitive, so matchday income is seen as a key growth a💙rea.

However, according to Liverpool University football finance expert Kieran Maguire, 🍃Liverpool won’t lose any ground in t𓃲he matchday income arms race as a result.

“Yes, I’d expect there to be a rise in matchday income regardless of this,” said the Price of Football author, speaking exclusively to TBR Football.

“Firstly, there is the expansion of the Champions League. Liverpool are in prime position to make progress this season and are going to be participating in it next season.

“If you look at revenue per fan, Liverpool are at the very top. Even if general admission ticket prices are frozen, that figure is going to increase because of hospitality and the corporate sector.

“When I have spoken to executives who pay for hospitality and similar products, that the increase has almost doubled in the last few seasons. That indicates that FSG have realised they have a hugely popular product.

“The corporate sector is prepared to pay for the elite end of the Premier League – and Liverpool very much tick that box.

“At Bayern Munich, for example, they make as much money from the 10 per cent they sell to the corporates as they do from the other 90 per cent.

“Those 90 per cent of fans create the atmosphere that the other 10 per cent bask in its reflected glory.

“The expansion of Anfield hasn’t resulted in a significant increase in terms of matchday ticket prices.

“It’s good that they have been frozen, although they haven’t been frozen from a low base with the exception of the fantastic kids ticket prices. But they’ve read the room on this and they deserve credit for doing so.”

• READ MORE: Liverpool and FSG chairman Tom Werner’s dream one step closer as £4bn deal marks end of 3🔯0-year era

How important really is Anfield cash to FSG and Liverpool?

There is a perception among some supporters that matchday income doesn’t move the needle that much for ultra-rich f🀅ootball clubs.

That isn’t the case, although – as Maguire hig𝓡hlights – the real money is now in the hospitality ⛎market.

There is understandably resistance to increased focus on the corporate sector within football, espec🌱ially at clubs like Anfield where FSG trade off the atmosphere that regular fans c✱reate.

However, if more rꦐes🍬ources and man hours going towards accommodating the prawn sandwich brigade is the price fans have to pay to slow the inflation of general admission tickets, it will be a welcome trade-off.