Henry Says Liverpool Must Spend Wisely, Won't Splurge In January

Henry (c) Will Not Give Hodgson (r) A Free Pass To Sign Any Players

EPL club Liverpool "will not target any marquee signings in the January transfer window" as new Owner New England Sports Ventures "looks to put a stop to the profligate spending which it believes has hampered the club's progress in recent years," according to Rory Smith of the London TELEGRAPH. NESV is "believed to have been concerned by the millions of pounds haemorrhaged on transfer fees and wages by the club in recent years as it examined Liverpool's finances." Under former manager Rafael Benitez, Liverpool spent more than US$364M "in six years on fees alone." Red Sox Owner John Henry, NESV's principal backer, said, "We have to be smart. We have to be more efficient. When we spend a dollar it has to be wisely. We cannot afford player contracts that do not make long-term sense." Smith notes Henry, who will assume a place on Liverpool's BOD, "will take an active role in football matters at Anfield, assessing" both manager Roy Hodgson's "suggested transfer targets and setting budgets for contract renegotiations of players already at the club" (London TELEGRAPH, 10/27).

FOLLOW THE LEADER: SI.com's Dan Shaughnessy wrote Henry is "first and foremost a businessman," and Boston has been "pretty happy with Henry's stewardship" since he bought the MLB franchise in '01. Known to be a "quirky guy," Henry is "shy, fragile, private and a notorious low talker." Other than his "wife and children, his greatest love is statistics." Henry prefers to "stay in the background," and he "just found out that's going to be hard to do as owner of a struggling soccer power in Great Britain" (SI.com, 10/25).