Liverpool’s new owner and figurehead of New England Sports Ventures, John W Henry, has indicated that he would follow the long term football policy at Liverpool, rather than a short term solution.
Talking to the journalists, John W Henry suggested that the owners are expecting Damien Comolli to sign at least four young players. Damien Comolli has been hired by Liverpool as their first director of football strategy, and he is given the task to supervise
the transfer deals of the club. He has done this for Tottenham Hotspurs, where he brought some great young talented players to the squad. These players were responsible in bringing success to the club in the last two years and the same is expected of him by
Liverpool’s owners.
Henry praised the football policy followed by Arsenal and Manchester United, who always work on youth players and rely on them for the success. This strategy, however, works in long term, but it does bring fruits to the club. Also, Henry adopted the same
policy as the owner of Boston Red Sox, so he is planning to the same thing for Liverpool. Therefore, he suggested that the consistency in a squad is achieved only when the club is being provided with the young talented players. This was also a hint towards
improving the youth academy at the club.
Apart from this policy, Henry also suggested that the money would not be wasted in the January transfer window. The owner, thus, challenged the manager, Roy Hodgson, and his players to make the most of the resources available to them at this moment. Henry
told the fans to wait and remain patient and do not pre-judge the current squad. Also, the owner told the players and the manager to be at their best in every single match. He told his players to play for the honour and prestige of the club that has been earned
through hard work and achievements of many years.
The owner of Liverpool looked particularly happy with the team’s performance against Chelsea. Liverpool was on top of their games, against the current leaders, as they beat them comfortably by 2-0. However, Henry said that the players would have to play
like that in every single match for the season. He realised the competitiveness of the English Premier League this season, and said that no club is ensured of results in their fixtures. Therefore, it is essential to give equal importance to all the matches.
John W Henry is right in one aspect, i.e. spending money in January transfer window might not be a good idea. In January, the clubs do not want their best players to leave and the players also want to stay in their current positions. Also, Liverpool has
no prospects as they would not be title challengers or Champions League contenders. So, the big players would like to avoid any such transfer which lowers their prospects of football.
The policy being promoted by John W Henry also suggests that the club should wait and scout the markets for a longer period. Even if Liverpool buys some youngsters in January, they would not make much of a difference in the second part of the season. On
the other hand, if hasty decisions are made it might prove costly in the end. While signing youngsters, it is always important to take some time and follow these stars for a while. Therefore, after making sure that they are future superstars, only then the
club should go for final agreements.
The January transfer window is only for the clubs to get one or two players in order to fill the gaps left in their squads due to injuries or some unforeseen reasons. Liverpool, on the other hand, needs to rebuild and January is probably not the right time
for them to make such decisions.
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