By Andrew Warshaw
September 12 – Liverpool chief executive Ian Ayre says the club have learned valuable lessons on and off the field in terms of long-term sustainability.
Speaking at the Soccerex Global Convention in Manchester earlier this week, at a seminar entitled ‘How to run a club successfully’, Ayre revealed that the £16 million purchase of Mario Balotelli started to pay dividends as soon as the controversial Italian joined in the transfer window from AC Milan, with £50,000 worth of shirts sold on day one.
The Reds’ previous owners engaged in a leveraged buy-out and Ayre paid tribute to the current owners, Fenway Sports Group, for making the club competitive again and financially stable.
Liverpool came within a whisker in May of winning the title for the first time since the inception of the Premier League and Ayre said: “You have to be ready for these opportunities. In the past we didn’t capitalise on opportunities but those days are long gone.
“It taught us the importance of sustainability and running the club properly. No-one wants to go back to those dark days.
“There was a lot to focus on: we had to improve the squad overall and that took investment at a time when we had little cash and a lot of debt. And it is testament to our new owners that they invested heavily and we started to improve the on-pitch side.
“It was also important to put in the pieces to take the business of the club forward, because in a world of Financial Fair Play and sustainability they are the things which generate the revenue to buy the players.
“It was a five-year plan and I am pleased to say it has been successful on all fronts, and the club has not been in such great health.”
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