Among the 61,000 or so in attendance at Anfield for Liverpool’s Premier League clash against Brentford is a certain John W. Henry.
The Reds’ principal owner is on Merseyside for Arne Slot’s first competitive fixture in charge at the club’s iconic home, with journalist Paul Gorst noting (via X) that the 74-year-old ‘tends to’ visit at this time of year.
Liverpool's prinicpal owner, John W Henry, as he tends to do around this time of the season, is in attendance at Anfield. https://t.co/ZD9RTCU6de
— Paul Gorst (@ptgorst) August 25, 2024
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Henry isn’t the only big name spotted at Anfield today, with the legendary Sir Kenny Dalglish, Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes, the city’s Mayor Steve Rotheram and former Premier League chairman Richard Scudamore also in attendance.
Sir Kenny Dalglish, Richard Scudamore, Steve Rotherham and sporting director Richard Hughes are all in place too. Quite the collection of names on hand to witness Arne Slot's first Anfield game. https://t.co/ZD9RTCTynG
— Paul Gorst (@ptgorst) August 25, 2024
The presence of Henry and Hughes at Anfield this afternoon doesn’t seem coincidental, with today’s match being the last that Liverpool play before the summer transfer window closes.
Indeed, the owner routinely visiting in late August seems to be inextricably linked with the proximity to the market closing, and it came as no surprise that a supporter asked him whether there’d be any signings when he appeared from the tunnel just over half an hour prior to kick-off.
Once the match against Brentford is out of the way, thoughts will inevitably turn to the final five days of the transfer window, when fans will be imploring the Reds’ hierarchy to execute some incoming business while the opportunity is still there to do so.
It isn’t hyperbole to state that this is a masive week in Liverpool’s season, and that decisions made between now and 11pm on Friday night could shape Slot’s first year at Anfield.
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