As Liverpool released their figures for the past financial year it showed a dramatic increase in debt – a £22m increase to be exact – but the Merseyside reiterated that their finances were still being kept in order.
It is a fine art trying to manage a football club’s finances whilst making sure that the actual team is still competitive on the pitch. Usually, one is sacrificed for the other (just ask Arsenal fans).
Some of Liverpool’s deficit is a result of some ill advised transfer activity which saw Kenny Dalglish spend nearly £40m on both Stewart Downing (2 goals) and Jordan Henderson (4 goals). There is still a big question as to why Dalglish thought that spending all that money on two mediocre players would be a good idea.
There is also the £35m spent on Andy Carroll who is now on loan to West Ham and appearing only sporadically as a result of numerous injuries.
Dalglish’s poor decisions during his time as manager at Anfield have set the club back; not only financially but also competitively.
Brendan Rodgers has done a fine job this season of instilling his philosophies and getting Liverpool close to the European places which has helped ease the pain of what was a disastrous period under Dalglish.
The club are confident, though, that their commercial operation is robust enough to help reduce the deficit.
Also, in Rodgers they have a manager who appears to be a little more astute in the transfer market; looking for value as opposed to spending large amounts on unproven ‘potential’.
Liverpool are moving in the right direction again but this financial figures are a stark reminder of King Kenny’s harmful second run as manager at Anfield.
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