Liverpool told why Elon Musk would be exactly like Man United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe
After the father of Elon Musk revealed his son would relish the chance to buy Liverpool, the Anfield fan base were given a huge warning that he could be like Sir Jim Ratcliffe
Liverpool fans have been warned that Elon Musk would be ruthless if he took over the club - just like Sir Jim Ratcliffe at Manchester United.
Musk's father, Errol, caused a stir when he revealed the Tesla owner could one day try to buy the Merseysiders. In 2022, Liverpool's current owners, Fenway Sports Group, put the club on the market with an estimated value between £4 billion and £4.5bn.
It has also been suggested that Musk would need to offer more than £8bn to acquire the club - £28.1bn less than what he paid for Twitter in 2022. Despite Musk's staggering net-worth of £344.7bn, sports finance expert Dr Rob Wilson thinks the South African would embark on the same aggressive, cost-cutting conquest as Ratcliffe.
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Speaking to Slingo, Dr Wilson said: "Liverpool fans should be wary. When Musk took control of X he dismissed many executives on high salaries along with a number of operational staff. He viewed the organisation as being bloated and wanted to increase efficiency.
"The approach of INEOS principal Sir Jim Ratcliffe is not unlike Musk's modus operandi. Efficiency measures across the board have led INEOS to reduce a burgeoning staff base at Old Trafford.
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"LFC are in a better place with their headcount - FSG have already cleared the decks, but we'd expect more efficiency gains with any US investor. There will be an inevitability regarding staff change and he will downsize to drive up margins.
"Revenue then becomes king - price rises, new commercial opportunities and new markets all exercised to squeeze more revenue. For those hoping that any outside investment will accelerate contract negotiations with star players like Mohamed Salah, I'd think again.
"With the contract negotiations with star players stalling - and in reality offering no off field value to LFC ie Salah would cost too much to renew and has no resale value - expect a significant change with the playing squad. Perhaps they'll follow Chelsea in ripping up the rule book. Only time will tell."
Ratcliffe has faced a huge amount of backlash as a result of many of the cuts that have been made at the club. Around 250 members of staff were made redundant, while an annual £100 Christmas bonus was replaced by a £40 voucher for Marks & Spencer.
Fans were also furious when Ratcliffe ended a £40,000-a-year donation to a charity supporting former United players. Musk undertook a similar approach, albeit on a grander scale, when he took over Twitter, terminating up to 80 per cent of the workforce, including numerous high-earning executives.
As well as numerous cuts to staff, there has also been turmoil behind the scenes at United, with the sacking of sporting director Dan Ashworth after just five months. While all of this has been happening, results on the pitch have also been poor.
While Ruben Amorim will take many positives from Sunday's 2-2 draw at Liverpool, United are currently 13th in the Premier League table.