Mukesh Ambani & Liverpool: Why It Could Be Just What The Club Needs

“As long as you’ve got your courage of conviction, it works for you. I think that the same applies, too, even where you don’t, because, in today’s world, financial resources are the least important. The world has moved to the power of ideas.” – Mukesh Ambani

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It’s his conviction, and ideas & ability to turn the tides of businesses that firmly establishes Mukesh Ambani as perhaps the best possible next owner of Liverpool.

Ever since news broke out that Fenway Sports Group (FSG) were putting Liverpool up for sale, just approximately six months after Russian oil magnate Roman Abramovich sold Chelsea to Todd Boehly & co., interest has been on a high & a list of several potential owners have been drawn up.

According to the Mirror, Indian billionaire Ambani, is in the running to buy Liverpool and it has caused a stir in the media as soon as word got out.

FSG have reportedly put up the club for sale at £4 billion, and Ambani, who has a net worth of £90 billion would hardly be flustered or deterred from bidding for the historic English club. However, he will have to fend off interest from the US & Middle East if he is to succeed in buying out Liverpool from FSG.

The Indian industrialist and billionaire is well-versed in turning an underdog into a behemoth.

His telecom company Jio, emerged several years after Vodafone, Airtel & Idea and other telecom giants who were well-established in India, however, with an astute customer-centric policy & offering services first for free & then for knockdown prices, Ambani’s Jio managed to displace Vodafone & Airtel and the other telecom companies in the country to become the biggest and most widely used telecom service provider all over the Indian subcontinent, and this was done in record time.

Nobody could see it coming as Vodafone had a firm foothold in the Indian market, however, with Ambani’s shrewd policies, processes & approach, Jio has now made a huge dent causing Vodafone to even consider leaving India after nearly two decades of being number one.

Since then, Jio have diversified into providing internet services, OTT TV services, and many value-adding services under the Jio bouquet, to keep customers loyal & coming back for more. In short, it’s one of the greatest stories in Indian business history.

It’s this kind of business acumen & implementation that separates Ambani from other potential owners who are bidding for Liverpool.

Liverpool fans have bemoaned the lack of investment & support by FSG in the transfer market since the American group took over the Merseyside outfit in 2010. With Ambani as owner, the fans can expect a big splurge in terms of transfers & it’s certain that he & his team will evaluate and negotiate for the best deals from a business & footballing perspective.

Ambani’s wife Nita, is also heavily involved in improving the standards of Indian football at the grass-roots level, providing more facilities, structure & resources to uplift Indian football starting from the ground up by investing in youth, so should Ambani take over Liverpool, it’s fairly certain that he would be significantly interested in promoting & developing Liverpool’s youth system & youth academy & set up, which has been overlooked by FSG over the years.

The Indian billionaire has turned IPL franchise Mumbai Indians, whom he owns, into one of the most dominant teams in the Indian Premier League – India’s premier T20 cricket league & tournament. So he’s no stranger to domestic domination in sports.

There are other reasons that also point towards why Ambani’s impending bid is a good fit for Liverpool such as appointing & backing managers and projects & giving management time to develop.

For the Mumbai Indians, Ambani set up the best coaches in every department, for example, South African cricketing legend Jonty Rhodes as fielding coach. Rhodes was widely regarded as the best fielder in the world during his playing days and Rhodes served as fielding coach for the Mumbai franchise for nine years.

It’s these expert decisions & well-researched policies in hiring & backing coaching staff and giving them time while also staying committed to their vision & ideas that separates Ambani from other potential owners of Liverpool.

It’s also certain that Ambani would do a lot in terms of raising awareness about racism & help in eradicating the stigma which the Premier League have been very vocal about in recent times.

Yes, FSG have backed Jurgen Klopp, but they haven’t been the most prolific in terms of budget spent on transfers over the years. Despite that, the club have made some impactful signings that have propelled the club to domestic & European success, so FSG’s time as owners hasn’t been the worst in terms of on-field results & trophies.

But fast forward to 2022, & Liverpool are in a flux & are unable to find the right gear or right ideas on the pitch.

This news of Ambani’s interest comes at just the right time, with the break for the World Cup, to usher in the next era for the historic English club. With fresh money, fresh ideas & fresh impetus, Liverpool could soon be back in the running for titles, once the impending takeover is complete.

Ambani seems like the ideal candidate to take Liverpool forward in the coming years, and should the takeover be complete, it’s certain that Liverpool fans will have a lot to sing about once again.