THIS MEANS MORE (MONEY)<\/p>\n
Far be it for Football Daily to make cheap gags [wait, what? \u2013 Football Daily Ed] relating to the involvement of Amazon founder and master of the universe Jeff Bezos in a consortium buying around 30% of Liverpool FC<\/a>. Will new signings arrive via prompt delivery but end up next door at Everton? How will fans rate the packaging? Etc, etc. There\u2019s also the involvement of Eduardo Saverin, the Facebook co-founder poking his head in. Though long ago unfriended by Mark Zuckerberg, Saverin still ranked No 56 on Forbes\u2019s billionaires list. These are seriously rich men, and among the planet\u2019s chino class, to quote Vladimir Putin, \u201csoccer is popular\u201d. The Geopolitics World Cup posh seats were full of those eyeing up deals on a frontier hardly new to investors from the USA USA USA, but where there may be much more gold to strike. See Gianni Infantino\u2019s misreading of the art of the deal as an, ahem, prime example.<\/p>\n Bezos is no football man, barely known as a sports fan. Links with buying the Seattle Seahawks, his local NFL franchise, were speculative. He is, though, the third richest man in the world, according to appendage-measuring listicles. Amazon\u2019s market value is higher than Brazil\u2019s annual GDP. For certain people, that triggers arousal at the thought of their team being able to buy the biggest and best players in the world. Just imagine if their club was to spend, say, \u00a3446m in a single summer. How good would that be?<\/p>\n For others, there is a regrettable mission creep towards a civic institution \u2013 one that, despite global fame, cleaves to its local community \u2013 being tossed around by venture capitalists. Though that process has been in train since Tom Hicks and George Gillett<\/a> arrived on Merseyside, full of huckster charm, almost two decades ago. The socialism and collectivism Bill Shankly envisaged for the club he made famous disappeared in the sepia-tinged rearview mirror. Football was a business even back in Shanks\u2019 day but now attracts the richest suits of all; if Bezos is chancing his arm in football, what price Elon Musk or Google tycoon Larry Page are seen wearing the scarf of their chosen club? Oh joy.<\/p>\n Current overlords Fenway Sports Group, who picked up the pieces from impending disaster in 2010, are, yes, a consortium of American venture capitalists. Their existential aim is to make as much loot as possible from an asset purchased for a knockdown price of \u00a3300m. It\u2019s gone well. This mooted deal includes Bezos, Saverin and Amit Bhatia, a frontman you may recognise from when QPR fans celebrated their owners being richer than Roman Abramovich. That did not go well. The latest deal would value the club at \u00a34.4bn. High-fives all round, though the doubles and trebles may take time. Liverpool enter the season with an imbalanced squad, unsuited to a manager whose arrival was generally seen as a Good Thing. If football is all about money, even the biggest money cannot solve every problem.<\/p>\n QUOTE OF THE DAY<\/p>\n \u201cAfter careful consideration, we don\u2019t feel it is right to proceed at this time without the necessary preparation in place, but we will remain in conversation with the club and see what is possible in the future\u201d \u2013 one wealthy benefactor not entering the game \u2013 yet \u2013 is Turki Alalshikh, whose bid to buy a controlling interest in Derby will no longer proceed, with the club now off the market.<\/p>\n RECOMMENDED LOOKING<\/p>\n Here\u2019s David Squires on \u2026 the masochistic life of a Football League fan<\/a>.<\/p>\n Illustration: David Squires\/The Guardian<\/p>\n double quotation markHaving also boycotted the GWC and also being very concerned about the season to come, I sympathise with Ken Muir (yesterday\u2019s Football Daily letters<\/a>). But at least Hearts know who their manager is. Due to the absurd, months-long FA \u2018investigation\u2019 into the manager who\u2019s clearly admitted culpability for the undisputed facts of Spygate, my club, Southampton, is in a horrid limbo. Surely it could have been done and dusted in a couple of weeks and Saints could have planned accordingly. But perhaps the FA blazers were too busy writing their letter of support to Gianni Infantino to worry about destabilising my football club\u201d \u2013 Bob Cushion.<\/p>\n double quotation mark\u2018It\u2019s 15 years of frustration here at this club,\u2019 says Rangers boss Derek McInnes (yesterday\u2019s Quote of the Day<\/a>.) Steven Gerrard and the sole object in his managerial trophy cabinet would like a word, Derek\u201d \u2013 David Maddock.<\/p>\n double quotation markGiven the surfeit of the recent GWC machinations, the blatherings and canvassing for Gianni to do one (or not) and the less-than-sportsmanlike attitude from members of the Argentina team, can we please have a reprise of the Football Daily\u2019s erstwhile, eventually abortive, attempt to \u2018STOP FOOTBALL\u2019? It has to be worth a thought, before VAR, PGMOL and Arsenal\u2019s Dark Arts Department\u2122 get to work on the 2026-27 Premier League shenanigans, surely?\u201d \u2013 Budgie Wright.<\/p>\n If you have any, please send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com<\/a>. Today\u2019s letter o\u2019 the day winner is \u2026 Bob Cushion, who gets some Football Weekly merch. Terms and conditions for our competitions can be viewed here<\/a>.<\/p>\n RECOMMENDED LISTENING<\/p>\n The Football Weekly pod squad are back again and you can listen to it right here<\/a> \u2026 or watch it here too<\/a>.<\/p>\n DERBY DAZE<\/p>\n The Milk Cup first round came to a lively climax down by the Sound on Monday night with Plymouth Argyle hosting bitter rivals Exeter City. Earlier in the day, the Grecians unveiled new signing Ethan Sutherland on a season\u2019s loan from Wolves. Little more than eight hours later, and with the game goalless and headed for penalties, Sutherland was sent for an early bath after picking up a second yellow card. Cue former Exeter defender Alex Hartridge popping up moments later in added time to head home the opener in a 2-0 win and silence travelling fans who had lobbed a lighter at him from the stands and offered up some choice lyrics about his family. \u201cIt definitely gave me a bit more and it made that sweeter, the way it ended,\u201d cheered Hartridge, whose side will host Coventry in round two. Check out the full draw here<\/a>.<\/p>\n A happy Alex Hartridge. Photograph: Kieran McManus\/ShutterstockNEWS, BITS AND BOBS<\/p>\n \u201cHe is fantastic,\u201d is Donald Trump\u2019s glowing analysis of Gianni Infantino as the USA USA USA president warned that Fifa would be making a \u201cterrible mistake\u201d<\/a> if it got rid of the beleaguered president.<\/p>\n Myles Lewis-Skelly has been offered to Manchester United<\/a> as a tempting left-back option, with Arsenal wishing to recoup some of the \u00a375m paid to Newcastle for Bruno Guimar\u00e3es.<\/p>\n Enzo Maresca has revealed why Erling Haaland is unlikely to be made Manchester City captain: he scores too many goals. \u201cAt Leicester and Chelsea, I had a rule that when we scored, the captain had to come to the bench for instructions and not celebrate,\u201d City\u2019s boss explained. \u201cBut if he scores, then he can celebrate. If Erling is the captain, [effing] hell \u2013 we have a problem, can you imagine?\u201d<\/p>\n Chelsea will face Real Sociedad in Women\u2019s Bigger Cup<\/a> third qualifying round to earn a place in the main draw. The Blues will be at home for the first leg in the last week of August, before the second leg in Spain a week later.<\/p>\n Fulham have signed midfielder Shea Charles from Southampton for a reported \u00a330m<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m buzzing \u2060to finally get it over the line,\u201d buzzed the 22-year-old Northern Ireland international. \u201cTo be here is a massive privilege.\u201d<\/p>\n Shea Charles bids farewell to Saints. Photograph: Matt Watson\/Southampton FC\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Rangers\u2019 miserable start to the season continues with the news that striker Youssef Chermiti faces a lengthy layoff with an ACL injury. The 22-year-old was carried off on a stretcher during the 2-1 defeat by Hibs.<\/p>\n Scottish striker Robbie Ure has joined Sevilla, leaving Swedish league leaders IK Sirius for an initial \u00a35.5m fee. The uncapped 22-year-old is the Allsvenskan top scorer this season with 15 goals in 15 games.<\/p>\n And Crystal Palace and Everton have engaged in some playground-style swapsies: your Brennan Johnson for my Dwight McNeil<\/a>. Need!<\/p>\n STILL WANT MORE?<\/p>\n These Premier League season previews are coming thick and fast: next up are Bournemouth<\/a> and Brentford<\/a>.<\/p>\n Will the Cherries be ripe for more success? Photograph: Robin Jones\/AFC Bournemouth\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Jonathan Wilson asks<\/a>: are Manchester United about to return to relevance under Michael Carrick?<\/p>\n In the Mill<\/a> \u2026 and you\u2019re going to like this \u2026 Jamie Vardy to West Ham?<\/p>\n