Liverpool's top five moments under FSG ownership
Fenway Sports Group announced that they are open to offers for Liverpool and their ownership of the club could end after a 12-year stay.
The announcement comes as a surprise given the club’s success in recent times, in which FSG have had a huge part to play.
From the trophies to expanding Anfield to decent financial performances, there has been plenty to celebrate, and fans may miss them if things go wrong.
READ: Liverpool may never have it as good again as under FSG
Here are FSG’s top five moments during their ownership of Liverpool.
Away from administration
FSG took over at Liverpool in October 2010 and it’s been revealed that they were just a day away from administration before they were bought by their new owners. That would’ve meant a points deduction, sale of top talent or possibly even relegation.
READ: FSG feel this is the right time to sell Liverpool
The new owners stepped in at the last minute and drastically changed things, and even though there was a rough start under Kenny Dalglish and certain moments under Kenny Dalglish weren’t great, things have stabilized on and off the pitch since.
Appointing Klopp
Out of all the decisions FSG made in charge of Liverpool, this was arguably the best: the arrival of Jurgen Klopp in 2015 changed the club, and heralded an era of success once again. They made the call to sack Brendan Rodgers after a poor start to the 2015-16 season and couldn’t have picked a better replacement.
Klopp was out of a job having left Borussia Dortmund a few months prior and within months, the changes were clear to see as performances improved on the pitch and the mentality around the club changed drastically. Within years, they were back on top.
#OnThisDay in 2015, Jürgen Klopp was appointed #LFC manager. ❤️🙌 pic.twitter.com/jCQD3wYnXa
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) October 8, 2018
Mega Van Dijk transfer
If there was one transfer that changed Liverpool, it’s this one. Eyebrows were raised when Liverpool paid a world-record sum to sign Virgil van Dijk from Southampton, but he transformed not only the Liverpool back-line, but the team as a whole.
Within months, they were in a Champions League final and in time, Van Dijk finished second in the running for the Ballon d’Or, showing what a shrewd signing he was for the Reds.
Champions League win
Prior to their Champions League win in 2019, Liverpool hadn’t won any major trophies in the Klopp era, but this opened doors for them. On their way to the title, they beat the likes of Bayern Munich and, amazingly, Barcelona, and showed they could beat the best.
The win came as a result of great investment as well: in the window prior, they improved their goalkeeping position by signing Alisson as their number one, while Naby Keita was signed and all of this was achieved after the sale of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona.
🔴 Liverpool = European & world champions! 🥇
2019 Champions League winners 🏆
2019 Super Cup winners 🏆
2019 Club World Cup winners 🏆#UCL pic.twitter.com/6wQwQPmQGp— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) December 21, 2019
Premier League win
Even though the Champions League is held in greater prestige, the Premier League is more fondly remembered, mainly because it took 30 years to end a title drought. Coming just a year after their Champions League success, the Reds continued their domination the year after.
The squad wasn’t majorly improved in the transfer window, as Klopp’s team kept their form and fitness up to secure the win and the core of their team was retained. If nothing else, the FSG era will be fondly remembered for this.