Liverpool center-back Joël Matip is about to test FSG’s readiness to confront a potential problem exposed once again in the accounts for the 2021/22 season.
Last month, the publication of the 2023 Deloitte Football Money League revealed that Liverpool had turned the third-highest revenue in world football in 2021/22.
Only Manchester City ($776m/£641m/€731m) and Real Madrid ($758m/£626m/€714m) beat the Reds (€746m/£616m/€702m), who surpassed their arch-rivals Manchester United for the first time.
And sure enough, on Tuesday, the publication of the club’s official accounts showed a revenue surge of $107m (£88m/€101m.
In light of these spectacular gains, you can understand why many supporters are frustrated. Why, they’re asking, has money not been invested into a team that’s fallen off a cliff this year? Where did this money go last summer, or in January, when a high-quality midfield addition was desperately needed.
Well, a big part of the reason why is Liverpool’s almighty wage bill, which climbed a startling 17 per cent to $443m (£366m/€417m) last season.
Subtract that figure from the club’s revenue, and you’re already down to $222m (£183m/€209m). Factor in the infrastructure costs associated with a move to a new training ground and the expansion of two stands at Anfield, and it’s not long before the profit is driven right down. In this set of accounts, it stands at ‘just’ $9.1m (€8.6m/£7.5m) pre-tax.
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