There has been a lot of news in the last week and I am now starting to believe that this might finally be the beginning of the end of the Hicks and Gillett tenure at Liverpool.
Many Reds including myself are sceptical about all this after seen many Sheiks come and go, we have been left dreaming of the proverbial Sugar Daddy with petroleum millions to splash out on players and a new stadium. I must admit however that this time around things are moving very fast and it could be a different story, many questions have come up over the events of the last week.
It started on Monday when reports that the club was turning its back on the proposed investment by the Rhone Group. From what we have read and heard the group wanted 40% of the club in return for a £100 million investment. Trying to do some math I figured that Hicks and Gillett would have been left with 30% each an evaluation that would leave them with £75 million apiece. So it is not a surprise that they turned the Rhone offer down.
On Thursday we heard that they (H&G) were in London for some ‘loan negotiations’, later that evening they were both at Anfield and Rafa Benitez claimed that he did not even see them. Strange, you might think, why not meet with Rafa after flying half-way across the globe? Are they planning to fire him? Or have they made their minds up about selling the club, so they do not care what Rafa has to say?
On Friday the news emerged that the British Airways chairman Martin Broughton was approached by Hicks & Gillett to become chairman of LFC. This would explain why they did not meet Rafa on Thursday, they did not have to, as it looked like they are getting ready to throw in the towel and call it quits.
All the pieces of the puzzle seem to have finally fallen into place as on Saturday afternoon the Times was reporting that Barclays was the one who was behind installing Broughton as chairman. The bank was offering a £300 million finance deal in which they would pay off the £240 million loan to RBS and leave £60 million for Summer spending. The numbers all add up to what everyone was reporting this morning so I am starting to believe something is up here. The Times reports that Barclays will be responsible in looking for a buyer of the club with a selling price of around £600 million.
As far as Barclays are concerned I can see that they genuinely would be interested in the welfare of Liverpool F.C. as after all they are the sponsors of the Premier League.
Praying and hoping for the best.
Y.N.W.A.
-Antoine