BEZOS IN LIVERPOOL FC TALKS: IS THIS FSG’S EXIT PLAN?

[00:00:00]And I mean he was talked about players there and being thin. He did talk about Dominic Zaboslan. He said his new deals the greatest new since ever arrived.

[00:00:08]He's renewed in great shape leading by example training and pushing a lot. The young players should look at him a lot.

[00:00:14]We tried to use him in the best way to feel comfortable to continue the same way. Now he didn't directly answer the vice captain question which was right to be asked and said we'll wait. You know Ted's back and have that. But he's talking about Dominic Zabos as a leader.

[00:00:29]Dominic Zosla as an example. There's probably good money behind he could end up being vice captain.

[00:00:36]>> Yeah, I would think so. I think I did I pick him on the last podcast as the vice captain? I think I did. I said like my only issue was that I was worried about his contract situation and then of course what happened since then is he signed someone for me just seems the logical choice. I mean he's the captain of Hungary. I think he's the Hungary's youngest ever captain when he was appointed as well. He is a leader. He does lead the press. He's a hard worker.

[00:00:58]He's got quality. Um I think he's got the right mindset for it. So I think he'd be absolutely ideal for it to be honest. So um and the fact that Liverpool have been able to tie him down is is a massive boost. I think he's got such a huge role to play under this manager in this type of football. Um I think they'll be kind of perfect for each other. So yeah, I would put big money on on Sosai being named the vice captain. He just makes the most sense really uh to do that. Um, and as I say, I'm really looking forward to seeing him under Areola as well.

[00:01:30]>> You phrased it there, the role under Ryola, which is going to be my question because he's been praised. It was quite clear as Dominic Abos's agent talked about that those discussions with Iayola have played a part. I suppose the ultimate question is Christ, let me just get this right for last season. Right back 10, right wing, center midfield, double pivot 10. Where is Areaiola playing him this coming season?

[00:01:59][snorts] >> Uh yeah, not a clue to be honest. Um you know, I've seen a lot of kind of shapes put together that have him on the right wing as a kind of tucked in right winger, which do you know what? If Liverpool, >> if you do it in the right way, those kind of systems can absolutely work. Um, I'm not, you know, I ju honestly until they play that the first couple of friendlies and we have a real idea of what an irreola system looks like with these players, I wouldn't like to guess.

[00:02:27]I'm not out on tour to be able to have those conversations, unfortunately. I really, really don't know. Um, but the thing is, you know, what you would say is they got Vitz clearly is going to take that crooy role as the number 10. I just don't think there's a question about that. He's perfectly made for that. um you know they're looking at someone like Barker a left wing Rioamo is going to play there um you know so you can see that they want pace in that position so you either you know what you've got with then is like the double pivot which again I think Gravenber is going to take the role but you've got then a lot of options adding up and you just think someone like Sosa can play as a bit of a winger a bit of a kind of tucked in midfielder it's a kind of something that did show that he quite liked at times I just wonder whether that's kind of the perfect role for him really So, but until we, like I say, until we start seeing the the friendlies, I I I honestly I just do not know enough about this manager and how he's going to use this squad. That's going to be a kind of a learning process over the next um few weeks and months really. So, I I wouldn't like to put money down on it to be honest. This is why he's still everyone's trying to piece it together like a jigsaw as we said because they're all talented footballers. They're all brilliant, but we saw last season a double pivot of Zabosi and Gravenber with Verts in front. As good as it is on the ball, it's the off the ball. It's that physicality. It's that lack of steel. I mean, if he goes with that, you're a bit like wondering, but as you said, it could be some It's going to be fascinating how he pieces it all together, isn't it?

[00:03:58]>> Yeah. The fact is he's got to find solutions that gets more out of what is there at the moment because that was like one of the number one reasons that that slot got sacked is that you know it's not just that Liverpool kind of lost a lot of games but it was like a belief that these players can do better than this. Okay, maybe it wasn't a title winning squad last season but it shouldn't have finished fifth and have lost as many games as it did. It just really shouldn't. So you know it's where he puts Viet and how that works for him.

[00:04:25]It's where, you know, where he kind of how he uses Gravenber to get him back to his best. What he does with Subsli, it's kind of they both probably want to play in similar areas kind of issue, that kind of thing. So, he's got all these problems to solve really. And I'm I I that's why I'm so excited for the friendly really. I'm I'm really looking forward to seeing what the solutions are to that because um it's very very hard to to imagine what they are. And um you know this is what you get your manager in for is to to put together a side that looks coherent and everybody seems like they're in the best area that they should be and that they work together and you get partnerships. So um I can't wait to see [snorts] the games really and and see uh how puts this together in hopefully a better way uh than than slot did last season.

[00:05:12]>> Yeah, fingers crossed on that.

[00:05:14]Definitely. And we've got Zabos renewed on big money. We've got Ryan Gravenberg signed a long-term deal. You know, Florian Vers would have come in on big money as well. I suppose this question a penny now for the thought of Curtis Jones who's not had a new deal since 2022. We're seeing other midfielders come in on bigger money be renewed as well. The inter bits a little bit quiet it seems again and Iola's talked about wanting him to stay but again sometimes it's actions louder than words. We're not hear anything about a new contract yet or discussions there. Is it just is it impossible to see how it's going to unfold? It could go either way still for Curtis Jones.

[00:05:58]Yeah, because so much depends on kind of the conversations that they're going to have behind the scenes during this preseason tour. I mean, how desperate is Areola to keep him? How big of a role does he envisage for him going forward?

[00:06:08]If they had a Champions League final tomorrow, does Curtis Jones start the game for him? is that, you know, if he says yes to that, is that enough to convince him, okay, you know, Italy would be nice. I'd like that experience, but, you know, maybe I can be one of the main men here for for my boyhood club.

[00:06:24]So, that's the conversations that have to take place because I was so adamant that Curtis would leave with the the previous management because the conversations were clearly that the role wasn't going to be big enough for him and that he couldn't guarantee this that or the other and and that then that the move to Italy appealed to him. So, it's all about those conversations and they are very behind the scenes. They're not the ones that we are privy to right now in this moment. We'll start to learn more as the months pass and then of course if the role is big enough for him, maybe he'll start to soften on kind of what he wants and and and we'll be able to get back to the table. But it's a lot of ifs and buts at the moment. Um, very very hard to see. I would love Curtis to stay. I'd love to see him get extended. I think I think it's absolutely criminal Liverpool didn't recognize the the the quality he had particularly in comparison to Alexis Mallister. I mean he's he's just a better player now for me. I think it's as simple as that. And it's interesting with Curtis actually. I watch England kind of >> incapable of keeping the ball turning it over constantly against Argentina.

[00:07:26]Everyone's like, "Oh, we could do like a vetin profile in there." And you just like it's Curtis Jones, everyone. It really is. It's Curtis Jones. like he doesn't give the ball away. He wins his jewels in the middle of the park.

[00:07:39]And I know there's like there's people there there's someone there like he's I don't want to swear, but he's not very good. Jones, never a Premier League player. I mean, I honestly don't know what people watching. And I I will tell you factually now that is just he's just wrong. Just isn't wrong. And like he is um he's a better player than he gets credit for. He's his biggest problem for me has been kind of injuries and consistency off the back of that. But in terms of keeping the ball and winning duels and doing the main things you'd like a kind of metronome in midfield to do, he is unbelievable at that. He ranks right up there with some of the kind of top names you can imagine. Um, and you know, you watch him and he actually is doing it. So, um, I just think he's a brilliant player and I think I really hope there's kind of scope for a U-turn there um, on his future. Um, and and like you say there, yeah, great coma rates him. So, um, you know, you hope that there's there's scope for him to be played and I would love to see him in the team more than an Alexis Mallister going forward because I think right now I think he's the better player and I think he's got more to give. So, fingers crossed the scope there for a for a new contract, but we'll see.

[00:08:47]Really, really key weeks these.

[00:08:49]>> Yeah, it does feel that way. And you mentioned a player there in Alexis Mallister. Interestingly, there was two bits. His dad came out because there was rumors about a Real Madrid bid and he was honest and said, "We have not spoken to Real Madrid, any Real Madrid official. What's been circulated is completely not true." And Iola spoke about him as well yesterday because he was asked about his future. And he said, "I think Alex has been one of the best at this club in years. Look at the World Cup. It's normal other clubs want the best players. Other clubs want my good players, but I'm looking to sign players than lose the ones we have here." Now, I've seen people write this up of Raiola says Alexis Mallister's going nowhere. I still reckon if the right money was put on the table, Liverpool would do that deal happily. I think that's sometimes it's what the manager's got to say.

[00:09:39]>> Yeah, 100% there's a deal to be done there. It's just about the right money.

[00:09:42]And the one thing I can't pin down with Alexis Mallister is the one thing I know there's a deal to be done. He's got two years left on his deal. No chance of negotiations. I don't think Liverpool have got any interest in opening them.

[00:09:54]So that tells you exactly where he's up to in terms of what they think about him. If someone comes with the right money, they will be open to a sale. But the big if is who that is and whether there is that interest there and I've not, you know, I don't have links at Real Madrid, so I don't know. I haven't heard anything about kind of anyone pushing firmly for him at the moment. So I think at the moment you got to kind of assume he's going to be part of the squad, but that's only the case until it isn't. and let let's see who kind of comes in for him or if they come in for him at all. Yeah. And I you know it's a big if at the moment. I think if anyone watched him last season they wouldn't have that great deal of interest in him but also maybe this the kind of thinking of oh well in a slower league he might do it for us so that could be out there.

[00:10:38]Um and you know he had a decentish World Cup although I I still think some of the weaknesses he has in the Premier League were evident at times. I don't think he was perfect. So yeah, we'll see. That's that's the big if there. But what what I don't think is an if and I know is that Liverpool would be open to a sale at the right price.

[00:10:57]>> We'll see if anything approaches with that. And I suppose it summarizes said we need a winger. He's talked about the defense being thin. The clear thing about the midfield is we've taught these names before so we don't need to like Watson Andre at Stgart. You can pick any name you want. But the reason it's down the priority list is because Liverpool, whether we like it or not, they are so stocked with senior midfielders and youth options as well. There's got to be exits before anyone will come in the midfield. And that's why it's being praised as down the priority list, isn't it?

[00:11:30]>> Yeah, exactly. You get kind of people get really angry when you say that about it like not being the priority at the moment, but it does for the reasons you say it just makes sense. I mean Sosai Vitz Mallister Jones Endo they've got Trey as well Harvey Elliot's come back and he is a midfielder so they're not short of numbers and I think you know there's real scope to do something in there in midfield and to say it's not a priority doesn't mean it's not going to be addressed but you've clearly got to open up spots and you've got a lot of people in there on big money and things so you've got to you know you've probably got to open up a spot before you do anything in central midfield.

[00:12:08]field. They've scouted midfielders.

[00:12:09]They've been in contact with with plenty the representatives of plenty of different midfielders. Um they've looked at a load of them. So they've done the background work if they need to move into that market. But it's so clear that the spots are already there in defense that they need to fill. The spots are already there in attack that they need to fill. Midfield, that's not quite the case. But that's not to say they won't do anything there. They just probably need to open up some space. And it's just that's going to be opened up uh through sales.

[00:12:36]>> It is. Yeah, we'll see if anything comes there. Right, we will get to it, ladies and gents. I've seen about 8,000 comments, maybe enough to put together a consortium in this chat panel. And I mean just over the last 24 hours this is mental because if we walk through it people the FT had the exclusive yesterday that a consortium led by Amit Batia the now former QPR co-owner who stepped down from there backed by the Mattel family were well known in the Forbes rich list usually top the UK Sunday Times rich list as well looking to buy a minority stake. Now the reports were or intimated it was a dynasty equity type deal. You know maybe something small in the hundreds of millions a very minor percentage. That's where it started out originally up until Sky News and the Guardian two hours ago saying now that Jeff Basos the Amazon owner has now held talks talk of acquiring a 30% stake by this consortium valuing the club at6 billion so approximately 4.5 million pounds. I mean, a lot's happened in the last 24 hours, hasn't it?

[00:13:52]>> Yeah. And I think this is a big a big story to be honest. The that I think the size of the stake, the people involved are kind of instructive about maybe the long-term view here as well. But but in the short term, I think, you know, the idea it's going to be bigger than the the dynasty equity uh investment is is massive. That the like I say, the start size of the state that they're going to take. Um, yeah, it's going to be a big cash injection for Liverpool. Um, now in terms of how they use that is up to them, but it's but it's really really interesting and I think I think the biggest aspect of this story for me is kind of the the the long-term future that it paves really and I think I think my only kind of takeaway and it's something I wrote about on Substack if people want to have a a look at that, but I wrote about it today. It really to me kind of paves a path towards an FSG exit probably more obviously than we've seen at any part any time during their tenure really. Um because you know if it was another Dynasty equity it was 3 to 4% or whatever around kind of 125 million that investment was give or take. It was rough. They they never really clarified the figures but it was a very small amount relatively speaking. Um you know another one of those would just be insignificant. That investment proved to be insignificant. I think it basically gave them kind of available cash when they were doing a lot of infrastructure projects to be able to invest big in the midfield that summer. That's how that money kind of got soaked up and used.

[00:15:14]Um, but that was all it kind of was really for was a bit of working capital and and obviously giving up a really small stake. But this time, you know, the idea that the stake is going to be like up to 30% is massive. You are not taking that that long-term view towards something.

[00:15:31]not giving that up as just kind of working capital. That to me is kind of this is the start of something. And I think you know the biggest indicators of that really are the fact that you know you know these talks you know you ask FSG when they start and the story comes out the talks were kind of played down or they're in early stages. Well I'm not sure that Amit Batio will be stepping down from a role he has held for 18 years in order to just >> potentially be doing something with this. I think it's a clear indication and I know for a fact these talks have been going on for a few months now. So I think we've got an indication that there's a real chance something gets done here and as I say what happens after that then if it is a stake as high as 30%. So we are above a quarter of the club that's getting bought. We've got people involved like Lakshmi Mittal who's you know he was previously kind of third richest man in the world that back in kind of 2005. He's not quite at those heights now but he's got a bit of cash I'd say getting Jeff Bezos involved.

[00:16:26]fourth richest man in the world. You are not just doing that for, you know, you're not getting Bezos involved because, oh, we need to get more eyes on Liverpool as a sporting project. This Liverpool is big enough. They don't need to sell themselves. They don't need the Amazon tie in to make themselves a bigger brand. There's nothing of the sort really. The reason you get people like that involved in is because, you know, further down the line, you are going to need to lean on some serious wealth uh to get an even bigger deal done. Um, and for me that's where the direction of travel feels. As I said, you know, at the moment, okay, it's a little bit speculative to say that, but I think there's so many ingredients in this story that to me point to a potential exit further down the line for FSG. And as I say, that they're getting the consortium together with such wealth that they're taking such a big stake.

[00:17:13]Um, I think is indicative that we're maybe moving towards the kind of endgame for FSG. Now that will be I still think even if this uh small state gets taken I say small large state gets taken I still think we're maybe a few years away from that um but I feel like that's the direction of travel if this gets done.

[00:17:32]>> Yeah it will be interesting the way people have reacted which is funny because even in the the chat panel was asking does that mean Elise and Vinnie Jr. will be dropping up anytime soon. I think with these things, I mean, there's no guarantee at the start that this comes off, but obviously it's been going on for a while and the fact there are names out there publicly and Batty has stepped down probably tells its own story. But people will look on the pitch. It might just be a while till you see any of that real cash come through on the pitch, invested, haven't we, before we think we're going to go to Manchester City territory or anything like that.

[00:18:06]>> Yeah, because I think for as long as FSG own the club, it's going to be self sustaining. So if this 30% stake is is is is eventually what is sold then I think there'll be very very minimal impact um in terms of you know investment and yeah I don't think people should complain about that by the way like do we have a a problem where Liverpool don't spend enough money? I think they broke the British transfer record twice last summer by the way.

[00:18:29]They're one of the highest wage payers in the biggest league in the world or the most you know the biggest wage payers in the world. So I don't think a lack of money is Liverpool's problems recently. I think I think Liverpool's problem last season was was football strategy and what was going on on the pitch. So um you know I don't think anyone has necessarily a need to get excited around about it around those aspects uh to be honest and I think like I say if it's 30% sink thinks are going to run it in exactly the same way uh going forward anyway. So I'm not too kind of worried about that either. But I think you know the big changes would come further down the line if um you know if they were to make a full sale.

[00:19:09]And as I say I think with who's involved, the amount of money they've got behind them, the fact that they will be taking such a large stake initially um I just think it it points towards an eventual ex exit strategy and then you throw in a few other aspects about it which includes the fact that you know FSG probably think they've achieved all they can. They've won everything.

[00:19:31]They've extended Anfield to potentially its full capacity. They've built the new training ground. Um, you know, the investment might be roughly reaching its peak now. I mean, how much bigger can the TV money go? We're starting to see a slight maybe leveling off in the TV deals. Um, you know, they're having to give up more games now to to make the deep TV deals bigger, which maybe suggests it's plateauing a little bit.

[00:19:55]um you know the and the fact that wages and transfer fees are spiraling so much they might just think that they're reaching the plateau there. So again, it kind of points to me that maybe this could be a long-term exit strategy. Like I say, I still think we're a few years away from that. Um but it but it's interesting. I I think and and my my take on this is that we're heading in that direction.

[00:20:18]And also then there's a question mark because they couldn't get exactly what they wanted on ticket prices as