- Premier League
Liverpool not going cheap - Hicks
Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks believes the club has now trebled in value and is happy to wait to find the right buyer.
Hicks and fellow owner George Gillett put Liverpool up for sale on Friday, just over three years after their £218 million takeover.
Fans have persistently protested against their ownership and Rafael Benitez has indicated that he is eager to see the sale go through as quickly as possible as he seeks more stability at the club.
However, it appears there may be little prospect of a swift sale as, following initial reports the club was up for sale at around £500 million, Hicks has now suggested they would be happy to wait to find a buyer willing to meet his apparent £654 million valuation.
"Liverpool Football Club has been a great investment," he told the Sunday Mirror. "It has probably tripled in value.
"We have doubled player spending, both gross and net, and the new stadium is now fully designed and permitted. With fresh capital from a new owner, the stadium will be operational by August 2014.
"Liverpool will be as profitable as any other club in the Premier League and can compete financially and on the pitch with any other club. This is a great step forward for Liverpool FC, but we will now take our time and find the best possible owner."
He added: "The fans blame the owners, but we had terrible injuries with our star players out and we just weren't a very good team without them. When the fans turn against you it's very frustrating.
"When I was in the leverage buy-out business, we bought Weetabix and we leveraged it up to make our return. You could say anyone eating Weetabix was paying for our purchase. It was just business. It is the same for Liverpool."
The Royal Bank of Scotland has apparently agreed to give the owners further time to pay back £100 million of the speculated overall £237 million debt.
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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Premier League 2020/21
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | 38 | 27 | 5 | 6 | +51 | 86 |
| 2 | Man United | 38 | 21 | 11 | 6 | +29 | 74 |
| 3 | Liverpool | 38 | 20 | 9 | 9 | +26 | 69 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 38 | 19 | 10 | 9 | +22 | 67 |
| 5 | Leicester | 38 | 20 | 6 | 12 | +18 | 66 |
| 6 | West Ham | 38 | 19 | 8 | 11 | +15 | 65 |
| 7 | Tottenham | 38 | 18 | 8 | 12 | +23 | 62 |
| 8 | Arsenal | 38 | 18 | 7 | 13 | +16 | 61 |
| 9 | Leeds | 38 | 18 | 5 | 15 | +8 | 59 |
| 10 | Everton | 38 | 17 | 8 | 13 | -1 | 59 |
| 11 | Aston Villa | 38 | 16 | 7 | 15 | +9 | 55 |
| 12 | Newcastle | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | -16 | 45 |
| 13 | Wolves | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | -16 | 45 |
| 14 | Crystal Pal | 38 | 12 | 8 | 18 | -25 | 44 |
| 15 | Southampton | 38 | 12 | 7 | 19 | -21 | 43 |
| 16 | Brighton | 38 | 9 | 14 | 15 | -6 | 41 |
| 17 | Burnley | 38 | 10 | 9 | 19 | -22 | 39 |
| 18 | Fulham | 38 | 5 | 13 | 20 | -26 | 28 |
| 19 | West Brom | 38 | 5 | 11 | 22 | -41 | 26 |
| 20 | Sheff United | 38 | 7 | 2 | 29 | -43 | 23 |
