FSG have made a few mistakes over their almost 14-year spell in charge of Liverpool.
By and large, the Reds owners have been incredibly good for the club. Things have grown fantastically in virtually every aspect since their takeover.
Anfield has been developed not once but twice, with the capacity set to reach around 61,000 once the finishing touches have been made to the Anfield Road end.
FSG also built a whole new training ground, with the AXA Training Centre recognised as a state of the art facility.
But aside from all the good, there has been a bit of bad mixed in. And after the Super League debacle and some missteps during Covid, FSG might be about to make another big error in judgement.
FSG makes Trent Alexander-Arnold error
Along with the improvements they’ve made to the infrastructure at Liverpool, FSG have also massively improved the Reds squad.
Obviously, they owe that to the expertise the likes of Michael Edwards have provided over the years. But nonetheless, the buck stops with the owners when it comes to recruitment.
In that spirit, John Henry and co are also ultimately responsible for deciding when and how contracts at Liverpool are renewed.
And as some notable names tick into their last contracted 12 months, FSG must be starting to sweat a little.
As journalist James Pearce has pointed out for The Athletic, the owners have massively dropped the ball on an extension for Trent Alexander-Arnold.
“The owners really should have ensured this was sorted long before now,” says Pearce. “Part of the problem was that Liverpool haven’t really had a sporting director since Julian Ward left a year ago.
“Jorg Schmadtke did the job on an interim basis last season but his remit was basically just negotiating incoming and outgoing transfers,” adds the journalist.
“You can’t just assume that, because Alexander-Arnold is a local lad, he will commit. They need to make him an offer he can’t refuse.”
Could Trent Alexander-Arnold really leave Liverpool?
It’s absolutely the right stance to take that Liverpool cannot be complacent with Alexander-Arnold’s contract.
That they’ve allowed his deal to go into its last year means that the power is all with the player. Trent can reasonably demand whatever he likes.
With Real Madrid reportedly monitoring Alexander-Arnold’s situation, Liverpool also know they have competition. This is a very delicate negotiation.
If the Reds don’t offer the academy graduate what he’s looking for, or upset him in some way, then there’s every chance that he walks away within the next 12 months.
As Liverpool’s creative heartbeat and vice-captain, this should never have been allowed to happen. Sporting director or not, someone at Liverpool should have stepped in to sort this out.
The hope will be that things will get sorted with Trent and he gets a deal reflective of his importance to the team. But there’s a very real question mark over whether that happens in reality. And that’s on the owners.