[EPL] Liverpool sold

[bayrider]

George Gillet (owner of the Montreal Canadiens Hockey Club) and Tom Hicks (owner of the Texas Rangers [baseball] and Dallas Stars [Hockey]) have agreed to pay ?470M for FC Liverpool. Each will be a 50% owner.

Sorry it's in french, but what I said above pretty much sums it all up.

http://www.rds.ca/soccer/chroniques/222721.html

As an avid fan of the Montreal Canadiens which has been under the owner of Gillet for some years now, I can say that he isn't exactly cheap, but don't expect him to spend top dollars on the best players either. Not sure about Hicks tho.

[beardedwonder]

With all these people buying Premiership clubs now, you have to wonder how badly the clubs are being run at the moment. Let's face it, these people are obvisouly coming in to make money and it looks like they think they can. I wonder what this will do to Liverpools plans for a new stadium?

Oh and should any multi-millionaires be reading this, do you fancy ploughing some money into a football club? How about Leeds United?...... please! :D

[bayrider]

Actually, I was reading up on Hicks. It seems like he has enough money and isnt interested in flipping a profit. Buying up sports teams has become more of a hobby. For Gillet on the other hand, it's a business. I'd actually like to see how these two work out together since they are 50/50 owners.

[Steven P. Administrators]

Good news for Liverpool fans who had to face the prospect of sharing their stadium with rivals Everton. (Y)

[Matrix XII]

That's a staggering amount of money :|

[Martyn]

It aint been announced officially yet, but it looks like it will be going through in the next few days.

To be honest I am not very happy about it, I would prefer the club to remain in scouse hands. I was dissapointed that the DIC bid failed as well, as that seemed very promising. I think it is pretty sad what is happening to football these days, but in todays game you need money to move forward. As people have been saving, Tom Hicks seems the right kind of person in this take over, but this Gilett dude has been bankrupt in the past and is only intent (judging on his past dealings) on making a profit.

[Brodel]

It's now been officially announced.

http://www.teamtalk.com/football/story/0,1...1898981,00.html

[Rappy Veteran]

Just seems the norm these days to buy out clubs in the premiership...shame there goes the English feel of the EPL :(

[Martyn]

Well the deal has gone through, and having watched some of the interviews I am much more confident that this is the right decision for the club. The great thing is though, Gillett and Hicks will be backing the club and be on the board room, but they are very much going to carry on running the club in the way it is being run, ensuring the stability of the club. David Moores is staying on as an Honourary Life member of the board, and Rick Parry will still be chief executive.

Good stuff!

[Andy07]

what a shame... wheres the protests :laugh:

i'm glad what Arsenal have or will achieve is with their own cash or i would seriously have to question my support :D

The Tv money for Premiership next season is crazy anyway... catching up with the other European superleagues.

[Rappy Veteran]

Well the deal has gone through, and having watched some of the interviews I am much more confident that this is the right decision for the club. The great thing is though, Gillett and Hicks will be backing the club and be on the board room, but they are very much going to carry on running the club in the way it is being run, ensuring the stability of the club. David Moores is staying on as an Honourary Life member of the board, and Rick Parry will still be chief executive.

Good stuff!

It's good that Parry will stay on these clubs that are taken over need someone they know to help drive them forward...unlike West Ham :laugh:

[Martyn]

what a shame... wheres the protests :laugh:

i'm glad what Arsenal have or will achieve is with their own cash or i would seriously have to question my support :D

The Tv money for Premiership next season is crazy anyway... catching up with the other European superleagues.

The thing with Liverpool is that it (was) run by David Moores, who has served the club very well in the past 16 years or so, and you would be hard pressed to find a bigger Liverpool fan. Even though is rich, he is not rich enough to splash out ?270 million on a new stadium, and he knew this was the key to Liverpool's success in the future so he had to sell his share in the club to benefit Liverpool because in the end he only had so much money available to pump into the club. Apparently he was in tears when he agreed to sell.

David Moores, we salute you.

[Andy07]

The thing with Liverpool is that it (was) run by David Moores, who has served the club very well in the past 16 years or so, and you would be hard pressed to find a bigger Liverpool fan. Even though is rich, he is not rich enough to splash out ?270 million on a new stadium, and he knew this was the key to Liverpool's success in the future so he had to sell his share in the club to benefit Liverpool because in the end he only had so much money available to pump into the club. Apparently he was in tears when he agreed to sell.

David Moores, we salute you.

I see.. well as long as its to help fund a new stadium that would be great for Liverpool who really need a higher gate... but if they start buying players with silly money like Chelsea i willl have no respect for them. That kind of behaviour only unbalances the league, why should smaller teams like sheffield united even bother to turn up to play an international dream team.

[Shibby]

The question now is how long will Moores stay for?

He may end up getting pressure from the owners and be forced to quit.

You never know

[Rappy Veteran]

The question now is how long will Moores stay for?

He may end up getting pressure from the owners and be forced to quit.

You never know

I think they will stay for a long time...unless these owners are pressurizing because it could effect the club if they left...

[Fred Derf Veteran]

The only way this makes sense is to push FC Liverpool as a major international brand like Man U (which Chelsea is also trying to do, btw). The thing is, how many major international brands can the EPL have? I mean, there is only one New York Yankees. There really can be only one definitive EPL club. Somebody else has to lose out.

p.s. "There can be only one" sounds like some lame line from "the Highlander".

[Rappy Veteran]

The only way this makes sense is to push FC Liverpool as a major international brand like Man U (which Chelsea is also trying to do, btw). The thing is, how many major international brands can the EPL have? I mean, there is only one New York Yankees. There really can be only one definitive EPL club. Somebody else has to lose out.

p.s. "There can be only one" sounds like some lame line from "the Highlander".

Has long as it doesn't mean you have to cut your opponents head off to get their power then its all good :D

[Martyn]

The only way this makes sense is to push FC Liverpool as a major international brand like Man U (which Chelsea is also trying to do, btw). The thing is, how many major international brands can the EPL have? I mean, there is only one New York Yankees. There really can be only one definitive EPL club. Somebody else has to lose out.

p.s. "There can be only one" sounds like some lame line from "the Highlander".

I think there is room for more than one, all you seem to hear about in England at the moment is stuff about the "top four".

[Crazysah]

Good for Liverpool!

[Andy07]

They are gonna have over 100m to spend on new players... yet another team unbalancing the fairness of the game. I think Fifa should introduce a wage cap in all Euro leagues or the transfer budget should be set by club revenue. You have to look at the big picture here and make the league fair and competitive for all 20 clubs.

[Martyn]

They are gonna have over 100m to spend on new players... yet another team unbalancing the fairness of the game. I think Fifa should introduce a wage cap in all Euro leagues or the transfer budget should be set by club revenue. You have to look at the big picture here and make the league fair and competitive for all 20 clubs.

Says who. There is no budget, simply if Rafa would like a player who would benefit the team then there would be a discussion about it. There is no way we are going to go out and spend as much as Chelsea did, maybe we will spend on Man Utd's level (but I doubt we would pay 18 million for a Carrick or 30 million for a Ferdinand). Rafa is not the type of person to pay over the odds for players.

Arsenal have more money than a lot of teams, but Wenger does simply not believe in in spending millions of current talent, he prefers investing in the future.

[samirb]

Yeah i like the wenger way. invest in youth and talent and nurture them. similar to what alex did with giggs,scholes,beckham at united.

chelesea money power only and now certain cracks are also appearing in their system

[SamNeeds]

This is great news for Liverpool...Hopefully they will be able to challenge the top teams better now :)

[Rappy Veteran]

Bayern Leverkusen striker Andrei Voronin has reportedly clinched a deal to join Liverpool in the summer.

The Ukrainian international is out of contract at the end of the season and has reached a agreement that will see him join The Reds on a four-year contract in June.

Voronin had been linked with a move to Celtic in December but will now join Craig Bellamy, Peter Crouch, Robbie Fowler and Dirk Kuyt in Rafa Benitez's plans at Anfield.

The 27-year-old has bagged six goals in 20 league appearances for the German club this season and, following Bayer's 1-0 defeat to Hannover on Saturday, it was announced that the striker will pursue a career in England come the end of the season.

Voronin is keen to widen his experiences after spending a decade in Germany since joining Borussia Dortmund as an 18-year-old from his native Ukraine.

"I have been in Germany for ten years now, that is a long time," said Voronin in Kicker. "I want to see something else."

Voronin's prospective arrival could provoke fresh doubts over Fowler's future at Anfield, as the Reds hero also sees his contract expire at the end of the season.

[Martyn]

That Voronin is crap, I cant see why we have gone after him to be honest. I would rather have Fowler, who still scores when you play him and has genuine passion for Liverpool or Sinama Pongolle as our 4th striker.