Next Summers Transfer Budget

You don’t need me to remind you just how diabolical our season has become – we can all see and feel it, and our chances of finishing in the top 4 seem to diminish with each passing game. With that in mind, I recently spoke ‘off the record’ with a financier who was central in discussions when DIC and Robert Kraft where looking to buy the club, and also when Hicks and Gillett took over.

Before I carry on, I must just say that I absolutely can’t reveal this person's identity, as they would be in some very serious trouble due to confidentiality agreements.

I should also say they are no longer involved with the club but do keep an eye on what is going on and have conversations with people close to those at the very top. This contact is also someone I respect and wish to protect.

Enough said, back to the nitty gritty.

In short, regarding Liverpool FC, my contact is a worried man (aren’t we all), but for a different reason to most of us; he is worried about our struggles off the pitch.

He confirmed to me that Tom Hicks and George Gillett's financial model is - or until very recently, was - based on Liverpool qualifying for the Champions League every season.

Without qualification this season, he believes things ‘do not look pretty’ for our summer transfer activity.

Far from us not signing any top class players or even having a net spend of zero, he believes it is possible that Rafa will be instructed to make a profit in the transfer window by as much as £10-£15m.

My source wanted to also leave me with some positive news though and that seemed to centre on two areas:

1. The club is working hard behind the scenes to secure new investment with the twin goals of building the new stadium and reducing debt level.*

2. We will also see further commercial success in the future (as we've already seen with the Standard Chartered/Carlsberg deals recently).

Maybe we can actually still finish in the top 4, but looking at recent evidence, I won’t hold my breath. We may have to rely on one of my contact’s points for hope.

* Note from JK: As revealed in our Exclusive from last month, according to my source at the club,  the current debt level is around the 200m mark, with interest payments down to less than 20m per year..

Alex Miller

Alex has been a financial journalist for 10 years and has written about Liverpool FC's finances for 'The Sunday Express'. In 2008, he was the IFA's Financial Reporter of the Year.


Read more: http://www.liverpool-kop.com/2009/12/inside-info-trouble-head-for-liverpool.html#ixzz0ZDTHj0gC

What do ye make of this. If this is true it is going to be a worse summer next year than this year imagine a team like Liverpool having to sell next summer just to pay the debts, our club is fu**ed when them as owners.

I've read too many articles like this to believe this one above others.

Very interesting story, but i sincerely hope that it is indeed only a story.

So do I because last Summer was depressing with the standard of players linked to us.

That F***ing site revels in doom and gloom - the maggot that 'owns' it (Kenwar) never posts anything positive. He's well known to us as a total F**k-knuckle. In fact i wouldn't be surprised if he was in the pay of either Gillett or Hicks.

I know Badboy he is a complete c**t I wouldn't have posted it if it was from him, he posts range from Love of Hicks and Gillette, comparing Benitez to Houllier, encouraging Liverpool to sell Mascherano to a hatred of SOS.

Very interesting Corbally, cheers for sharing
Bit as always i will compare ourselves to the best teams in England,
Utd have 'apparently' more debt, so why all the controversy around us ? :S
And why do they seem to spend more than us?
It seems to me like we're gonna become 'Arsenal like'
Getting rid of debt then not spending much just to stay above the minus mark

I know Badboy he is a complete c**t I wouldn't have posted it if it was from him, he posts range from Love of Hicks and Gillette, comparing Benitez to Houllier, encouraging Liverpool to sell Mascherano to a hatred of SOS.

You his PR guy?

Thanks for the info, Corbally. It's no secret that we have financial 'problems' but as I've said before, NONE of us know what is around the corner. We could fail to qualify for the CL and be left with a negative transfer budget. We could also receive MAJOR investment some time in the near future and, with a bit more luck concerning injuries, get 4th place or higher.
It's depressing now because things aren't going well on the pitch and it's hard to see any miracle cure coming in January (ie - big signings) but we should all be careful not to get too negative and jump on the doom and gloom bandwagon.

Juding by the serious lack of activity during this summer cant see next summer being much different. If we couldnt afford Kranjer then after 2nd,qtr finals CL then we're defo gonna struggle with hopefully 4th and far in the Uefa Cup.

You don’t need me to remind you just how diabolical our season has become – we can all see and feel it, and our chances of finishing in the top 4 seem to diminish with each passing game. With that in mind, I recently spoke ‘off the record’ with a financier who was central in discussions when DIC and Robert Kraft where looking to buy the club, and also when Hicks and Gillett took over.

Before I carry on, I must just say that I absolutely can’t reveal this person's identity, as they would be in some very serious trouble due to confidentiality agreements.

I should also say they are no longer involved with the club but do keep an eye on what is going on and have conversations with people close to those at the very top. This contact is also someone I respect and wish to protect.

Enough said, back to the nitty gritty.

In short, regarding Liverpool FC, my contact is a worried man (aren’t we all), but for a different reason to most of us; he is worried about our struggles off the pitch.

He confirmed to me that Tom Hicks and George Gillett's financial model is - or until very recently, was - based on Liverpool qualifying for the Champions League every season.

Without qualification this season, he believes things ‘do not look pretty’ for our summer transfer activity.

Far from us not signing any top class players or even having a net spend of zero, he believes it is possible that Rafa will be instructed to make a profit in the transfer window by as much as £10-£15m.

My source wanted to also leave me with some positive news though and that seemed to centre on two areas:

1. The club is working hard behind the scenes to secure new investment with the twin goals of building the new stadium and reducing debt level.*

2. We will also see further commercial success in the future (as we've already seen with the Standard Chartered/Carlsberg deals recently).

Maybe we can actually still finish in the top 4, but looking at recent evidence, I won’t hold my breath. We may have to rely on one of my contact’s points for hope.

* Note from JK: As revealed in our Exclusive from last month, according to my source at the club,  the current debt level is around the 200m mark, with interest payments down to less than 20m per year..

Alex Miller

Alex has been a financial journalist for 10 years and has written about Liverpool FC's finances for 'The Sunday Express'. In 2008, he was the IFA's Financial Reporter of the Year.


Read more: http://www.liverpool-kop.com/2009/12/inside-info-trouble-head-for-liverpool.html#ixzz0ZDTHj0gC

What do ye make of this. If this is true it is going to be a worse summer next year than this year imagine a team like Liverpool having to sell next summer just to pay the debts, our club is fu**ed when them as owners.

Do us a favour and lose the link, the site is run by an utter, utter c**t and I personally wouldn't believe anything on it.

Bullshit

this guy is a c**t...

Until the end of the post Corbally I thought you were the one supplying us with all this 'insider info'!