Kieran Maguire lambasts John Henry amid new £77m-plus Liverpool cash grab
John Henry has no interest in the sporting integrity of football and it is therefore no surprise to see Liverpool angling for an even greater cut of overseas Premier League TV cash.
That is the view of finance guru Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about attempts by the so-called Big Six to further reform the top flight’s distribution system.
Premier League clubs currently receive an equal share of approximately £30million from the domestic TV deal, topped up by broadcast bonuses and a merit payment.
The overseas TV deal was split entirely equally until the division’s biggest clubs successfully lobbied for a merit-based element in 2019, with £77m presently awarded on these lines.
Liverpool trousered £162.3m from this system in 2021-22, the second-biggest figure in the league and £63.7m more than bottom-placed Norwich City.
But the Daily Mail reported last Friday (30 Se[tember) that the country’s elite clubs are now pushing for an even greater cut of the overseas deal.
This is no surprise given Henry’s track record, insists Maguire.
“You only have to look at historic comments made by the likes of John Henry with regard to the sharing of broadcast revenues to understand the sentiments of Liverpool,” he told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“Henry’s belief is that the big clubs are the drivers of growth and eyeballs and should therefore have a greater share of the money.
“Henry has no interest in football or competitive sport. His focus is on financial return only.
“So, therefore, taking a greater share of the broadcast pot is clearly his main driver in terms of the club’s position.“
In other news, expert suggests Darwin Nunez could be sidelined for “six months” at Liverpool after talks.