Liverpool owners FSG 'hold three-hour meeting' with free agent ahead of making 'serious' signings

Fenway Sports Group (FSG) will be highly satisfied with what they’re seeing on Merseyside.

John Henry, Tom Werner and the rest of the Boston-based firm would have had similar feelings as Liverpool supporters during the summer. Given the seismic change that took place, no-one could predict what was going to happen. The departure of Jurgen Klopp, who engineered the Reds’ return to the pinnacle of European football - delivering on all of his promises - led to trepidation among Kopites.

In nine years, Klopp guided Liverpool to seven major trophies, including the Champions League and Premier League. But after he announced his exit following nine years in the Anfield hot seat, there were understandable woes that Liverpool could hit a period of decline. It had occurred at Manchester United following the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, while Arsenal struggled after Arsene Wenger left.

It has been quite the opposite at Liverpool, however. The decision to hire Arne Slot as Klopp’s successor has so far proven a sage decision. The Dutchman has scarcely tried to rip up the blueprint and squad he inherited and instead opted for evolution. Liverpool find themselves top of the Premier League by five points and also at the summit of the Champions League standings. It would be fair to say that FSG will have few concerns about the current state of affairs at L4. Granted, the contracts of Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold still need resolving but otherwise, things are as cordial as they could have wished for.

It means that FSG’s expertise can be focused on other areas of their business. Liverpool are not the only iconic sports team in their portfolio. Henry and Co. have been at the helm of the MLB outfit Boston Red Sox since 2002. After ending the Fenway Park outfit’s 84-year wait for a World Series title in 2004 - and claiming another two crowns in 2007 and 2013 respectively - recent seasons have left a lot to be desired. For the past three campaigns, they have missed out on reaching the MLB play-offs.

It means that there is pressure on FSG from the Sox faithful to deliver - especially after chairman Werner said last year that the Red Sox were going to go ‘full throttle’. However, during this off-season, the Massachusetts-based team are indeed expected to be busy when it comes to bringing in new players.

Ken Rosenthal, of The Athletic, told the Fair Territory podcast (via NBC Sports): "I don't believe you're going to be disappointed. I think they're actually serious this time, as opposed to last year's 'full throttle' - which wasn't a full throttle at all - about getting quality players, big-time free agents.

"They know one, how embarrassing last off-season turned out to be them. And two, more to the point, they're in a good place right now. They have a farm system that is really starting to produce some quality players. They have this ability because of those players to maybe extend themselves financially with others. And going forward, they know they're in a position right now where in the AL East, while they were .500 last year, they should be that much better next year. So I can see the Red Sox being very active on both the trade and free agent fronts. … They weren’t aiming to do some things last year, at least big things, now they are.”

What Rosenthal said corroborates with other reports. It has been widely suggested that the Red Sox are aiming to pull off somewhat of a coup as they try to sign free agent Juan Soto. MassLive suggests that Werner, along with Red Sox president Sam Kennedy, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and manager Alex Cora met with the outfielder in Southern California ‘for approximately three hours’. Soto, who helped the New York Yankees to the World Series final before suffering a 4-1 loss to the LA Dodgers, was said to be ‘impressed’ by the presentation pitched to him that highlighted a ‘detailed outline of ownership and FSG’.

As well as Liverpool and the Red Sox, FSG own NHL team the Pittsburgh Penguins and 50 per cent of NASCAR’s RFK Racing. Last year, FSG purchased a franchise in the new Technology Golf League which is spearheaded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy and is due to start next year. FSG then led a consortium named the Strategic Sports Group to invest up to $3 billion in the PGA Tour.