'It's what the fans want' – Henry says Liverpool will focus on Premier League title next season
The Reds’ owner is delighted with his club’s Champions League trophy, but says next year they’ll try to end a 30-year drought in the league
Liverpool owner John Henry has said the club’s attention will be firmly on winning the Premier League next season, as the league title is what he believes the fans want.
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The Reds earned their sixth European triumph last season, downing fellow English club Tottenham by a 2-0 scoreline in the final in Madrid.
It completed a memorable season for the Reds, which saw them defeat the champions of Spain, France and Germany during the competition and rack up 97 points domestically.
However that Premier League haul, despite being the third-highest ever, saw them fall one point short of Manchester City in the title hunt.
And while Henry admitted the Champions League trophy is what mattered most to him, he claims the club will concentrate on winning England’s top-flight next season, and ending a 30-year drought.
He would not be drawn on transfer speculation though, stating his belief that the return of key players from injury would give his team a boost.
“To me winning in Europe is bigger than winning in England but I think it’s true the fans want it,” the American tycoon told PA.
“I know we’re going to be focused on winning the Premier League next year.
“We need to get healthy. We need AOC [Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain] back, we need a healthy [Adam] Lallana.
“It’s not up to me, but I would guess we’ll see more of Divock [Origi] next year. I think he brings something special, he comes with power and speed and brings in scoring.
“I feel really good about next year.”
Henry is in London to watch the baseball team he also owns, the Boston Red Sox, play the New York Yankees in the first regular season baseball game played in the UK.
Despite Premier League disappointment, Henry was fulsome in his praise of Jurgen Klopp’s men for their 2018-19 efforts, believing Champions League success was a reward for their hard work.
“Our guys gave their all from the first day of the season to the last,” he continued.
“It’s a long season, they played up to their capabilities and just gave it so much effort.
“It didn’t matter who the opponent was, they out-ran every opponent and I felt they deserved to walk away with a trophy.
“We walked away with the biggest one so I’m very happy.”
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