Liverpool have missed out on the chance to kickstart an infrastructure project that has proved enormously lucrative for some of their rivals.
Just as Liverpool are set to undergo a makeover under new manager Arne Slot, Anfield has undergone drastic changes in recent years.
Fenway Sports Group and John Henry have pumped in £180m to expand capacity from 45,000 to around 61,000 through the redevelopment of the Main Stand and Anfield Road Stand.
Next season will be Liverpool’s first full campaign in front of this maximum capacity crowd, with the club set to break their matchday income total in the process.
However, developments outside the stadium illustrate that one option to rake in even more cash from their physical site is now off the table.
Liverpool won’t be able to pull off Chelsea-style property sale
It appears there will not be any other major structural changes at Anfield for the foreseeable future given the limitations imposed by its geography.
However, other clubs who have encountered the same problem have found other creative ways to boost their finances and, specifically, their PSR position through their facilities.
Chelsea, for example, are believed to have sold two on-site hotels for an eye-watering £76m earlier this year.
They believe will see them fall within the Premier League’s three-year £105m loss limit despite their extraordinary expenditure in the transfer market in recent years.
However, as relayed by This is Anfield, there is no scope for Liverpool to make a similar move in future.
A plot of land that some had speculated could be bought by the club and turned into an official hotel has instead been acquired by the council, with official paperwork signed.
The space will be used for community purposes, which will no doubt be welcomed by local Liverpool supporters.
But while there was no official indication that the club could use the land, it does illustrate that the nature of the Anfield site means Liverpool are unable to build extended infrastructure like Chelsea have.
Anfield’s position in a built up residential are means that a modern ‘stadium complex’ with amenities like hotels and other facilities is not a viable option.
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How much matchday income can Liverpool make?
Thankfully, Liverpool are not in need of PSR workarounds like Chelsea thanks to the sustainability-first approach employed by FSG.
And in any case, Liverpool could quote easily reach £100m in matchday income in future seasons.
To do that, they will have to focus more on hospitality, hopefully without that coming at the expense of regular match-going fans.
They are already taking steps towards this end, in fact.
They are all set to launch a new lounge, for example, which is set to be the most exclusive area of the stadium.
