From Spain: FSG not giving up on long-held plans which could make Liverpool fans feel uneasy | OneFootball

Fenway Sports Group (FSG) have done plenty right in the 15 years since they acquired control of Liverpool Football Club, but they’ve also had a few gross missteps which have antagonised the fan base and are at risk of making another.

While we can be grateful for the investment they’ve made in increasing Anfield’s capacity by more than 33% over the past decade, along with the transformative hiring of Jurgen Klopp as manager in 2015, they’ve been guilty of crass misjudgements such as their original intentions to join the egregious and short-lived European Super League.

The Boston-based firm have been open about their desire to pursue a multi-club ownership (MCO) model, and over the past year they’ve been reportedly interested in acquiring Bordeaux and Malaga, both of whom were once Champions League quarter-finalists but have since fallen on hard times.

According to reports from Spain, FSG have now lined up another club that they’d like to add to their footballing portfolio.

FSG interested in buying Getafe

As per Marca (via Football Espana), John W Henry’s organisation have identified Getafe as their preferred choice and have already conducted viability studies into a potential buyout of the LaLiga outfit.

There are three primary reasons for FSG’s interest in Los Azulones – their established status in one of the top leagues in Europe, the ongoing renovations of their stadium in a prime location in Madrid, and their track record for developing players and selling them for tidy sums.

However, Getafe president Angel Torres has pledged to stay in the job until the construction work on the Estadio Coliseum is finished, which could see him remain in situ for at least another couple of years, and is also being quite selective about the person or group to whom he eventually sells the club.

(Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

FSG, please avoid the murkiness of multi-club ownership

MCO is a touchy subject at the best of times, and it’s become particularly taboo given recent events across Europe.

Despite qualifying for the Europa League by winning the FA Cup, Crystal Palace remain uncertain as to whether they’ll be allowed to partake in the former tournament due to UEFA rules preventing multiple clubs with the same ownership from being involved – Eagles owner John Textor is also the leading shareholder at Lyon, who’ve qualified for the competition.

Another domestic cup winner has already had their European place revoked in broadly similar circumstances, with FAI Cup champions Drogheda United being kicked out of the Conference League as their owners Trivela Group are over another team who’ve qualified (Danish outfit Silkeborg).

Football fans are rightly up in arms over those two case studies when other MCOs have had multiple clubs involved in the same Champions League season as recently as 2024/25 – namely Red Bull (Salzburg and Leipzig) and the City Football Group (Manchester City and Girona).

(Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)

FSG might have several sporting teams in their current portfolio, but that covers multiple sports rather than just football, and therefore any delicate conflicts of interest can be kept to a minimum. That’d change drastically if they were to take control of Getafe.

Many Liverpool supporters were hugely opposed when first hearing of their owners’ intentions to purchase another club in Europe, with the whole concept of MCO at odds with the beliefs of much of the Reds’ core fan base.

We shudder at the thought of a team in FSG’s portfolio being denied their rightful place in European competition solely because the Reds have also qualified, and the identity and heritage of every football club should be respected.

Unfortunately it seems as though those in the Boston boardroom remain intent on adding to their footballing stable, but we hope that our owners never cross that murky line while they have stewardship of LFC.