There’s a bit of an uncomfortable truth in all this: big money clubs still attract big names. And if you’re coming from somewhere like PSG, you’re not exactly stepping out of a world that prizes frugality and clever penny-pinching.
That’s why, whenever the conversation turns to “why would a manager pick them over us?”, the answer is often less romantic than we’d like. It’s not always about heritage, city, fanbase, or even the feeling of a proper football club. Sometimes it’s just the scale of the chequebook, and the sense that the machine will keep rolling.
When the punishment doesn’t match the charge sheet
The other bit that sticks in the throat is how powerless it can feel watching the so-called financial rules wobble about. We’ve had years of noise, investigations, and headlines, and yet the lived reality for supporters is that not much changes.
From the outside looking in, it’s hard not to conclude that if anything ever does land, it’ll be light compared to the noise around it. A fine that barely dents the sofa cushions, something that sounds serious in a press release but doesn’t really change behaviour. And if you’re a manager weighing up jobs, you’re probably thinking: what’s the actual risk to my next two seasons?
Most managers aren’t auditors
People can argue the morals of it all, and fair play, they should. But football decision-makers generally aren’t turning down resources because they’ve got a conscience about PSR or whatever the next rebrand is called.
If everyone’s getting paid, the squad is stacked, and the club can move quickly in the market, most coaches will take that and crack on. And to be fair, football has always had a version of this. The modern difference is just the scale, and how easily it can distort a league over time.
Liverpool’s offer is different, and it still matters
None of that changes what Liverpool is. Historically, culturally, emotionally: it’s a bigger job, a heavier shirt, a proper opportunity. Anyone who genuinely returns Liverpool to being the dominant force we all know it can be will be remembered forever. That’s not marketing. That’s the club.
But it also doesn’t erase the simple fact that City have had the most success in the last decade. And for some managers, that’s the entire pitch. Not “what does this mean?”, but “how quickly can I add another league title to the cabinet?”
That’s the tension modern football keeps forcing on us. Money talks. History whispers. And managers, more often than we’d like, listen to the loudest voice in the room.
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Liverpool News Views offers daily Liverpool coverage including match reaction, transfer analysis, EFL context, tactical breakdowns and opinion-led articles written by supporters for supporters.
