A Jeff Bezos-backed consortium has invested in Liverpool, and former Everton CEO Keith Wyness has made a key claim about one decision they could make.
It feels like FSG’s gradual sale of the Reds is happening before our eyes, with the aforementioned consortium purchasing 38% of the club last month.
One thing that will need to be addressed is Liverpool’s next shirt sponsor, with the current deal with Standard Chartered expiring at the end of this season.
Speaking to Football Insider, Wyness played down the idea of Amazon being the Reds’ next sponsor because of Bezos’ influence, saying it isn’t that simple:
“It’s a natural knee-jerk reaction to think of Amazon as a front-of-shirt sponsor, but don’t forget we’ve got the famous things we discussed around Man City, APT, associated party transactions. So don’t expect somebody to come in and start paying, you know, £100million for the front of the shirt all of a sudden because that’s not allowed under the rules.
“Amazon are a very successful, sensible business. They’re not there to support businesses they’re taking shares in. They want them to run autonomously and by themselves, and I don’t think that Amazon would be keen.
“Liverpool’s commercial teams will be under pressure to find a replacement for Standard Chartered. We all know the Liverpool brand is very big in Asia and big in the States as well. They could go to the market and find a better sponsor. I don’t necessarily expect Amazon to take the shirt unless it fits their own business needs, and at present I don’t think it will do.”
Is it the right time for FSG to sell Liverpool?
FSG have been divisive owners throughout their time at Liverpool since 2010, with some praising them for hiring Jurgen Klopp and redeveloping Anfield, but others criticising their frugal nature in the transfer market.
It does arguably feel like the right time for them to sell the club, though, allowing the Reds to move on and hopefully become an even greater force under Bezos and company.
Some are against the consortium, due in part to Bezos not exactly being the world’s most popular man, but as is the case with the vast majority of owners in the modern game, there are positives and negatives either way.
If the new consortium oversees success, few will care, as long as Liverpool doesn’t lose its identity as a club, which is perhaps the greatest worry among supporters.
