'We are in a very healthy place as a football club'

[BBC] After a record summer spend last season of £450m, Liverpool were disappointing on the pitch. Ultimately, that led to the sacking of Arne Slot at the end of the campaign. Senior players like Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate all left on free transfers too. It has been a summer of change at Liverpool with Michael Edwards stepping down as FSG's CEO of football, primarily because plans of multi-club ownership were abandoned. Meanwhile, Richard Hughes, Liverpool's sporting director, is linked with a move to Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia. There is certainly a question of stability. "Transition and change is inevitable in football. In our case, with a new coach coming in, there's real excitement around Andoni's [Iraola] mindset and philosophy that supporters will really enjoy," says CEO Billy Hogan. "That will take time but in terms of transition, I would send a message that we are in a very healthy place as a football club - the leadership from ownership is in a very steady place and we're looking forward to the next season." [Getty Images] Hogan insists that regardless of the personnel changes, the club model remains the same and they will continue to stick to their principles. "It's important to keep in mind that last season, a considerable amount was invested but also generated in terms of sales of players going out," he says. "Over the course of FSG's stewardship, the investment has always been focused on doing what's best to put us in a place to win. "Sometimes that means significant expense and other times it doesn't like in the summer of 2024 when there was only one addition (Federico Chiesa for £12.5m). It depends on where we are at the club and the improvements needed. Ultimately Mike Gordon, who is really our managing owner, will make those decisions." There is an increased focus on the women's team too, who finished 11th in the WSL last season and haven't won the top-flight title since 2014. "To be self-critical, that is probably an area that we maybe took our eye off the ball several years ago but we've changed that," says Hogan. "We now have one of the best training centres at AXA Melwood, we are investing in the squad and we will approach the women's team the same way we approach the men's team - which is to run it sustainably. There's tremendous growth in the women's game and a huge opportunity going forward to really drive that." Read more from Reds CEO Billy Hogan