What now for FSG, a frustrated Michael Edwards and Liverpool?
When Michael Edwards accepted the newly created role of Fenway Sports Group’s CEO of football two years ago, he explained what had ultimately convinced him to return to the fold. “One of the biggest factors in my decision is the commitment to acquire and oversee an additional club, growing this area of their organisation,” Edwards said. “I believe that to remain competitive, investment and expansion of the current football portfolio is necessary.
” Edwards, who had been working as a consultant for Ludonautics, the sports advisory analytics business founded by former Liverpool director of research Ian Graham, was given a wider remit with responsibility for overseeing the club’s budget and strategy. Since stepping down as sporting director in 2022 , he had rejected around a dozen job offers from clubs across Europe, including lucrative approaches from Premier League rivals Manchester United and Chelsea to run their football operations. In an email FSG president Mike Gordon sent to club staff in March 2024, confirming that Edwards would take over the running of football operations from him, he wrote: “To remain competitive, we must identify every avenue available to us to gain an edge.
To this end, Michael will use every tool at his disposal and has already identified the acquisition of another club as one channel that will help fortify our overall operation and drive our competitive ambitions. ” Two years on, and FSG has failed to embark on the multi-club ownership model it previously appeared committed to and those plans have now been shelved . The Athletic has spoken to numerous sources familiar with the situation, who asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships, to establish why a second football club hasn’t been purchased.
Edwards has kept his counsel. It’s a crucial period on the field for Liverpool and there is a desire internally to ensure there are no distractions as Arne Slot’s side attempts to salvage something from a turbulent season. Wednesday’s Champions League rout of Galatasaray, which set up a quarter-final tie with holders Paris Saint-Germain, provided hope on that front.
However, a number of sources close to Edwards have told The Athletic that the impasse regarding the multi-club plans has frustrated him. Edwards, technical director Julian Ward and director of football development Pedro Marques have travelled around Europe since the summer of 2024, assessing options and putting in all the groundwork, but it hasn’t come to fruition. Extensive analysis was conducted on around 25 clubs with a strong focus on Spain, Portugal and France.
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