Last week, Fenway Sports Group made a big move behind the scenes.FSG has brought back former Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein, creating some excitement among fans of the MLB team, which is facing a disappointing 2024 due to a lackluster 2023 season and a lack of key players. Epstein was a popular figure in Boston with fans and owners alike.
John W. Henry didn’t film sabermetrics expert Billy Beane until the 2003 season, a scene that appears in the movie Moneyball. Henry and FSG were looking for their version.FSG purchased the Red Sox in 2002, and their 86-year World Series drought ended in 2004. Boston won one more World Series before Epstein left in 2011. Epstein, who left the Red Sox to become president of the Chicago Cubs, has taken on an advisory role in MLB and was also a private equity adviser to FSG Partners Arctos, which recently acquired a 12-pack, 5% of shares.
The French bought Paris. Saint Germain. Epstein is now back as a member of the FSG. The Reds’ owners used the carrot they had previously dangled when offering stock in the company. Epstein is now a partner at FSG. That means he co-owns every team owned by FSG, including Liverpool, the Red Sox, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the RFK Racing NASCAR team. But Epstein’s role as an adviser is part-time, and it’s unclear how long that role will last.
But there comes a time in the rebuilding Red Sox when they need guidance, and Liverpool have the huge task of finding Jurgen Klopp’s replacement at Anfield next season. Who succeeds Klopp next season will rest on the shoulders of the giants, and the pressure on the German manager as he takes over the role he has created will be a herculean task.
Given Klopp’s achievements and the fact that his success has allowed FSG to significantly increase the value of the club, this is one of the most important strategic decisions in the history of Liverpool’s owners in all their sporting interests. The Athletic reported last week that Epstein’s duties as an adviser include helping to find Klopp’s successor. Gordon and Klopp maintained a close working relationship. He was mutual trust and respect and this was the basis of success. Klopp also bought a model until he came, and he came to Borussia Dortmund behind him.
But the analytical approach Liverpool took to signing him convinced them he was the right man for the job and could perform within the parameters of the model.Gordon Klopp, who returned to Anfield for good after a short spell at the end of 2022 to lead the club’s search for investment, knows that Klopp’s qualities go beyond mere data and each of these will be taken into account. When identifying a successor.
