Liverpool's Wirtz signing marks the end of the FSG debate
The Reds' much-maligned owners have restored the club to the summit of the English game thanks to smart decision-making.
One look at the progression of the British transfer record is enough to tell you that making lofty predictions regarding any big-money signing would be unwise.
Yet it is hard to shake the feeling that, even before he has pulled on the shirt, Liverpool’s £116m signing of Florian Wirtz is a hugely significant one.
Should the £16m worth of add-ons included be triggered by major success in the coming years, then it would be first time since the acquisition of Stan Collymore in 1995 that the Reds hold the UK benchmark for spending on a single player
Yet that £8.5m signing was the desperate attempt of a fading force to arrest the slide amid Manchester United’s ascent to prominence, and became another costly misstep en route to 30 years without a league title.
Liverpool had already lost significant ground to United commercially in the early Premier League era, and diminishing success meant that their ability to compete financially was also eaten into in the years that followed Collymore’s record-breaking arrival.
As such, despite some highlights, it has felt for much of the last three decades like Liverpool were locked in a vicious cycle that they might never break.
That is until the arrival of Fenway Sports Group, who acquired a club at arguably its lowest ebb in the modern era before setting it on a path to success that it now has the capability to sustain.
And Wirtz’s arrival feels like the crowning moment of a slow and steady journey back to the summit of the English game.
Clearly, there have been plenty of mistakes along the way, most notably those £77 tickets and the botched European Super League launch that ended in player mutiny.
But the positives have far outweighed them, including the relatively swift accumulation of a number of smart decision makers - including astrophysicists - capable of turning a failing football operation around.
Their most crucial move was the stats-driven pursuit of Jurgen Klopp, who possessed not only elite-level managerial skills but also the personality to get an entire club believing in itself again.
The Reds have won every trophy available since, reclaiming their record as England’s most decorated club domestically and adding yet another Champions League.
And thanks to the inspired appointment of Arne Slot, which is largely thanks to another genius hire in Richard Hughes, Liverpool look well placed for more silverware in the near future.
Wirtz clearly recognised as much during his meeting with both men, paving the way for a signing that would have been out of reach early in FSG’s tenure.
Firstly, that would have been because of sporting reasons, with competing clubs Manchester City and Bayern Munich having previously felt like far safer bets.
Yet Liverpool’s status as a consistent challenger in recent years (even if they may have left the odd trophy on the table under Klopp) has elevated their appeal to potential signings.
What’s more, thanks to the work done off the pitch in recent years, the financial means to complete these mega deals are now there.
For example, the 2012-13 season saw Manchester United take a seemingly unassailable £55m lead over their rivals Liverpool in terms of commercial revenue (£98m vs a league-leading £153m).
Yet both clubs’ last set of accounts show the Reds now in front (£308m to £303m) as a result of the aggressive addition of partners interested in sponsoring a winning team.
And the expectation is that this will help Liverpool post the biggest gap in overall revenue between the clubs in history when their next numbers land.
These impressive figures are also aided by the matchday income boost from an expanded Anfield, a now-world-class stadium befitting the team it hosts, which Wirtz of course sampled earlier this season.
It is understood that the 22-year-old was also blown away by the facilities at the FSG-built AXA Training Centre after Bayer Leverkusen were allowed to train there the day after their Champions League defeat.
Ultimately, these aspects add up to Liverpool possessing everything they need to claim that they are, once again, England’s premier football club, a position that seemed unthinkable just a decade ago.
And that would not have been possible without the shrewd decisions of an ownership group who have - at times fairly, other times not - been regularly maligned throughout their reign.
With their team the reigning champions of England and about to add one of the best young players in world football, you would certainly struggle to find a Liverpool fan in the mood to criticise today at least.
Well written! Super pumped about Wirtz and Frimpong. Now, let's get Kerkez over the line and perhaps add a defensive utility player--another Gomez- like footballer with a few years' under his belt. As you pointed out, it's about depth and resilience.