Liverpool’s failure to land Moises Caicedo had an interesting knock-on effect last summer.
The Reds had gone big on Caicedo, attempting to snatch him from Chelsea who had been courting the Ecuadorian for most of the previous year.
In the end, their sluggishness is what cost them. Having dealt with the Blues for so long, Caicedo stayed true to his word and joined Chelsea.
After missing out on the 22-year-old, Liverpool had to turn to Plan B. In the end, their second, or maybe third or even fourth choice – Wataru Endo – has gone on to outshine Caicedo and pretty much ever other Premier League defensive midfielder.
On top of that, it seems as though the Caicedo saga has fast-forwarded an FSG plan that could end up being great news for Liverpool.
FSG hatching exciting plan
By now it’s well known that Liverpool’s owners are wanting to add another club to their stable.
It’s seemingly the main reason FSG have been able to lure Michael Edwards into coming back on board. The former sporting director will head up the search for another team.
And according to the Liverpool ECHO, there are starting to be some clues as to who that club may be. It won’t be Toulouse, apparently, with the French club already ruled out of the running.
It is also unlikely to be a team in South America. Although it’s claimed that FSG looked extensively at Brazilian clubs in 2021 and 2022 – with Cruzeiro the main candidate – they ultimately chose to stay away. They’ll now reportedly look to Europe.
However, wherever and whoever the new brand may be, it’s claimed that one of the key aims will be to provide talent for Liverpool. FSG are said to have realised from the Caicedo saga that they ‘could be doing more’ to find players like the Chelsea man much earlier. And for much cheaper.
As a result, any new addition to John Henry’s portfolio would reportedly ‘identify and house’ top talent from around the world before ‘developing them in the Liverpool way.’ Ultimately this would hopefully help to get the GBE points needed to come and play in England.
Excitement for Liverpool fans
Although there are legitimate concerns over the multi-club model and its sustainability for competitive football, this is exciting for Liverpool.
The Reds have actually been very good at finding top players for lower fees than their rivals over the years. But there’s definite scope to improve that even further.
If this is the route FSG go down to do that, then you can only see it being a success. In Edwards they have one of the brightest minds in football heading things up. He’ll surely make the right decisions and sign the right players who can go on to be a success at Liverpool.
For too many years we’ve had to watch as the likes of Brighton make smart deals on players with big futures. It has taken some time. but the Reds are finally getting savvy to it. Watch out everyone.
