09 Nov 2022 15:49:58
Hi Ed02 is Pagliuca and his Bain group a possibility for new owners?

{Ed002's Note - Yes they are certainly going to be a possibility.

09 Nov 2022 16:16:22
Great news that they’re a possibility.

09 Nov 2022 16:21:27
Thanks Ed02. That's good to hear as he doesn't appear to come with the baggage that some other possibilities have.

09 Nov 2022 17:00:30
They're only worth $160 billion!

09 Nov 2022 18:40:27
Baked bean boy
That’s About what Bellingham’s worth after the World Cup.

09 Nov 2022 18:44:13
I don’t know whether to be excited about all this or worried. It does feel like we are at a significant turning point in our history which could have a massive impact on our future. The squad needs refreshing, we need money to do it and I hope Klopp is the man to rebuild the team but I’m unsure if he can…and now ownership of the club may change hands. I’m crossing everything right now as this feels like a crucial moment for the club. Ed02 is coming over calm and positive though in his responses which for some weird reason is making me a bit calmer.

09 Nov 2022 19:58:08
In his 2009 book The Buyout of America: How Private Equity Is Destroying Jobs and Killing the American Economy, Josh Kosman described
Bain Capital as "notorious for its failure to plough profits back into its businesses, being the first large private-equity firm to derive a large fraction of its revenues from corporate dividends and other distributions. The revenue potential of this strategy, which may "starve" a company of capital, was increased by a 1970s court ruling that allowed companies to consider the entire fair market value of the company, instead of only their "hard assets" in determining how much money was available to pay dividends. In at least some instances, companies acquired by Bain borrowed money in order to increase their dividend payments, ultimately leading to the collapse of what had been financially stable businesses.

09 Nov 2022 20:03:55
Unsure if Klopp can rebuild the team?
It's about the only thing I'm 100% certain of in these uncertain times.

09 Nov 2022 21:02:32
the squad needs refreshing. we literally, like, need one or two midfielders, to satisfy this craving.

09 Nov 2022 21:39:13
That's informative @OneKiss. I personally despise that sort of business model. Venture capitalism is disgusting but with the sort of money we're talking about how many suitors will have clean hands and a clear conscious? As for the asset stripping aspect of it we would have to hope that it would be more of a vanity project a la Abromavich and Chelsea.

09 Nov 2022 21:46:32
Sorry meant capitalism and maybe Elon Musk is a good guy but who knows.

09 Nov 2022 23:18:14
Supposedly Steve Balmer, the LA Clippers owner might have interest as well.

10 Nov 2022 00:19:02
Steve Ballmer looks like uncle Fester.

10 Nov 2022 00:24:22
Billy, Musk unfortunately is not a good guy, research Amber Herd parties 2011, Musk is one of them who attended with his then wife, Herd has a nickname, Maxwell 2.0.

10 Nov 2022 11:34:14
My experience tells me that if they're obscenely rich, then they're dodgy or have been in the past. You just don't acquire that much wealth without having to stab someone in the back (literally) or getting it by some other 'untoward' means. As long as they love Liverpool and are willing to invest, then i don't care who buys us.

10 Nov 2022 18:23:52
Venture capitalists do not have clean hands. It's the same rubbish as oil barons, it's just westerncivwashed and whitepersonwashed.

11 Nov 2022 10:37:18
I have worked with Bain and they was great owners and ploughed money back into the business when profits was exceeded a lot better than KKR.

12 Nov 2022 09:18:03
KingCarlos, people make their minds up based on wikipedia nowadays mate. Bain Capital owned Atalanta had the 4th highest net spend in Italy last season. RedBird owned AC Milan had the highest net spend (although a lot of their business was concluded before RedBird took over, there was no subsequent pressure to balance the books with sales) .

When i read people slating American owners seemingly for having the gall to be American, i always read it in Gollum's voice. "Tricksy Americans. They stole it from us! "

14 Nov 2022 06:20:37
It's not "venture capital". It's private equity.

And Bain doesn't have "160 billion". That money belongs to other people. Bain is paid to decide where to invest it. And they seek a certain return, or they won't invest.

That return target will be about 15% annualized.

Since estimated profits of 75 million for 2022 won't come to 15% on a 3.5 to 4 billion investment, and potentially zero for 2023 if we don't make CL, then the return target will have to be met by re-selling the club for a few billion more in a few years.