I spoke to FSG owner John Henry hours ago - he is frustrated about last few years and feels the pain

Fenway Sports Group (FSG) will be quietly satisfied with what they are seeing at Liverpool.

The Reds’ top brass would have known of all the potential dangers following Jurgen Klopp’s exit from the hot seat. Finding the right replacement was imperative - and it’s why it proved to be a fairly lengthy process. But during the second international break of the season, FSG look to have got their decision correct by appointing Arne Slot as Klopp’s successor.

Filling the legendary German’s void was a monumental challenge. Having re-established Liverpool at the pinnacle of European football, winning seven major trophies including the Premier League and Champions League in his nine years at the helm, Klopp is regarded as a demigod among Kopites. Yet the transition into Slot’s tenure has been seamless. At the second international break of the season, the Reds are top of the Premier League and won both of their Champions League fixtures.

FSG principal owner John Henry and the rest of Liverpool’s owners will feel the club is in good hands, especially after prising back former sporting directors Michael Edwards and Julian Ward. Granted, the contract situations of Virgil van Dijk, Mo Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold need resolving. But, overall, things are running smoothly and now adding more silverware to the Anfield trophy cabinet will be targeted.

But that cannot be said for FSG’s other iconic team. The Boston Red Sox are left licking their wounds after failing to reach the MLB play-offs. It is the third straight season they have failed to do so - and the fifth time in six campaigns. As a result, Red Sox fans are becoming frustrated with FSG, while Henry has been accused of not caring enough about the Fenway Park outfit.

But Red Sox president and FSG chief executive Sam Kennedy has leapt to the defence of Henry and insisted that he feels the same as fans about the lack of success. Appearing on Fenway Rundown, Kennedy said: "I would say that I spoke with John in the past couple of hours about the 2024-25 Red Sox. We speak just about every day. He speaks to[Craig Breslow] just about every day.

"There is this perception of John, largely driven by people who aren't dealing with him, who don't talk to him regularly, that maybe, somehow, he's not actively involved. I can assure you, he's on the most important committees in Major League Baseball. He's leading our franchise as our principal owner. He does give us a lot of rope in management, in me as CEO, Bres (Craig Breslow) as CBO, but he is incredibly involved and is as passionate about the team as he's ever has been.

"What we talked about literally today was this incredible set of building blocks that we have in place, and how, while how disappointing 2024 was, how exciting the baseball project is, how invested he is, I am, Mike Gordon is, Theo Epstein is into Craig Breslow and what he's building in terms of how he's building out his staff, his team, where he's prioritising our spend and our investment.

“I would say that John, as I am, as our whole ownership group is, is optimistic about the future, also frustrated about the last few years. John's been in baseball since the late 1980s maybe 1990 or so, and I can't tell you excruciating seasons are where you're .500 or even below .500 when you're not headed for the post-season. It's painful and John feels that as much as anyone."