Liverpool are now one of three football clubs to be tied to RedBird Capital, with their growing investment portfolio potentially opening a number of doors for the Reds.
At the end of March, Fenway Sports Group confirmed they had sold a £533 million stake of their company to RedBird Capital, equating to 10 percent.
Liverpool’s owners said the deal would “enhance our ability to pursue future growth opportunities in a more accelerated way,” with the investment allowing for stability for the club during a time of financial hardship.
But away from the balance sheets at Anfield and the stadium expansion, the ties to RedBird Capital are ones that could create links to other clubs akin to the Red Bull model of Salzburg, New York and Leipzig and the City group.
RedBird had already acquired an 85 percent stake in Ligue 2’s Toulouse last year before investing in FSG and ultimately Liverpool, while their latest venture takes them to Malaga.
The Spanish outfit currently plies their trade in the second division and have seen a minority stake of 600 shares acquired by RedBird with a view of a future capital increase, as per AS.
And it is this growing network of clubs that could create opportunities for signing and loaning out young players for the Reds, with RedBird now FSG’s third-largest shareholder.
This could also extend to pre-season and friendly arrangements, ones which could extend to a number of other clubs should their portfolio continue to grow.
Of most interest would be in the player department in regards to getting around the new Brexit regulations that now prevents English clubs from signing those under the age of 18.
Partner, or feeder, clubs in the EU could help get them around those rules by securing youngsters on their behalf. In this case, Toulouse or Malaga would land a player and hold on to them until such a time they are eligible to move to Liverpool with a work permit.
On the other side of the coin, handing first-team experience to those youngsters already on the books with a loan spell at a partner club is another way to take advantage of such connections.
It is early days for the growing portfolio at RedBird, but each investment could very well prove beneficial for Liverpool moving forward on and off the field.
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