It’s been quite summer for Fenway Sports Group owner Jon Henry as he has managed to alienate the fans of both the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool.
After a disastrous transfer window that has left Brendan Rodgers with only two strikers and painfully thin in midfield, John Henry today penned an open letter to Liverpool fans, published on liverpoolfc.com, in which he tried to appease them over what happened during the transfer window. Here is some of what he wrote:
‘I am as disappointed as anyone connected with Liverpool Football Club that we were unable to add further to our strike force in this summer transfer window,’ wrote Henry
‘But that was not through any lack of desire or effort on the part of all of those involved.
‘They pushed hard in the final days of the transfer window on a number of forward targets and it is unfortunate that on this occasion we were unable to conclude acceptable deals to bring those targets in.”
But a summer window which brought in three young, but significantly talented starters in Joe Allen, Nuri Sahin and Fabio Borini as well as two exciting young potential stars of the future – Samed Yesil and Oussama Assaidi – could hardly be deemed a failure as we build for the future.’
A lot of work, and cash, was expended on renewing the contracts of key players to ensure Rodgers retained solid foundations on which to build.
Henry also felt that fans and critics have overlooked the fact that Liverpool was able to keep some of its stars this summer:
‘No-one should minimise the importance of keeping our best players during this window,’ he added.
‘We successfully retained Daniel Agger, Martin Skrtel and Luis Suarez.
‘We greatly appreciate their faith and belief in the club and we successfully negotiated new, long-term contracts with Luis and with Martin.’
Like a good politician Henry blamed the previous administration for the club’s problems saying that in the short term they are ‘still in the process of reversing the errors of previous regimes.’
‘It will not happen overnight. It has been compounded by our own mistakes in a difficult first two years of ownership,’ he said.
‘It has been a harsh education, but make no mistake, the club is healthier today than when we took over.
‘We will build and grow from within, buy prudently and cleverly and never again waste resources on inflated transfer fees and unrealistic wages.
‘We have no fear of spending and competing with the very best but we will not overpay for players. We will never place this club in the precarious position that we found it in when we took over at Anfield.
‘This club should never again run up debts that threaten its existence.’
