Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders says Fenway Sports Group is acting in the club’s best interests by searching for new investors, insisting Jürgen Klopp’s team is not distracted by the news.
Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley have been directed to attract new investment, the Boston-based firm said Monday. Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup tie with Derby, Legends sees the move as positive.
The club’s owners act in the club’s interest,” he asserted. “They always at least tried, I believe. This relationship [he and Klopp] was significant for us. Everybody who saw us in the last years, who realized who we are as a club, accomplished we have a strong relationship with the owners. I will explain a few reasons why they are good owners and why.
“First, [in April] they tied one of the best managers in the world for seven years. That says a lot. Second, Second, they have tied up the best players on the team. This is the difference between a top European or world club and a sub-top one, having to sell their best players afterward. We tied down – [for example] Mo Salah’s contract.
“We have a stable academy, that is more important. They invested in the academy and attired where we are sitting now – it’s one of the best training grounds in world football, and it is our new home. Then the main stand [at Anfield and] the new stand. We won a lot of cups: international and national prizes. To take it forward, they are acting in the club’s best interests.”
Legendre insisted on staying focused. “The statement was very fair,” he said. “How did it distract us? This is what I like about our club. We are so focused. Jürgen and I had a short conversation, but after that, we focused on the upcoming big game.
Looking for new investors instead of new owners was what Lejnders asked he had in mind. He said, “The statement was clear” “Finding investors and pitching for a club is nothing new; they are trying to move the club forward. Of course, we knew before. You [the reporter] don’t know anything else, but we knew about the statement.”
It was on the understanding that FSG would remain the owners for the foreseeable future when Lejenders and Klopp signed their new contracts. He said, “Of course, but we are not naive to think that things are in football.”
