Sports

Jeff Bezos consortium owns close to 40% of Liverpool

Published

2 minutes ago

August 18, 2026

Fenway Sports Group (FSG) sold close to 40 per cent of Liverpool Football Club to the consortium including U.S. billionaire Jeff Bezos.

Early suggestions on both sides of the transaction indicated the purchased stake was in the range of approximately 30 per cent to one-third, but The Athletic can reveal the figure is actually much closer to 40 per cent, according to sources with knowledge of the deal, granted anonymity due to the confidentiality of the process.

1892 Holdings, a consortium headed up and led by Amit Bhatia, the former Queens Park Rangers co-owner who will take up the position of vice-chairman at Liverpool, has purchased around a 38 per cent shareholding in Liverpool.

That is a much more significant share of the club, while there is also an option for the consortium to buy a controlling stake in the Premier League side, as per the terms of their agreement with FSG, in the next 12 months.

The language around the potential for them to buy an even bigger stake, however, does not constitute a formal commitment, so it is only an option that could lead to further investment as opposed to being a requirement.

As well as Bezos, who is one of the wealthiest individuals in the world, Bhatia is also joined in 1892 Holdings by the family office of Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin and his wife Elaine, as well as the Mittal Family Trusts.

Bezos’ involvement comes via K5 Sports and it is his first foray into sports ownership, although he will not have a seat on the board. Bryan Baum from K5 Sports and Elaine Saverin will join Bhatia on the board.

As part of the transaction between FSG and 1892 Holdings, the Boston-based company will continue to be majority shareholders and are retaining operational control of the club.

“The strategic investment supports Liverpool FC’s long-term growth ambitions by bringing together experts from across global business, technology and investment,” FSG’s statement, released on Friday, read.

“The consortium partners will work with FSG and the club’s leadership team to evaluate opportunities that enhance the club’s objectives on and off the pitch. FSG continues to retain majority ownership and operational control of Liverpool FC.”

In the same statement, Bhatia, speaking on behalf of 1892 Holdings, said: “We are incredibly proud to be investing in Liverpool Football Club and to be doing so alongside FSG. We have the utmost respect and admiration for FSG as owners and for everything they have achieved at Anfield.

“To be welcomed as a partner in a club of this stature is a huge privilege. We are making this investment because we believe deeply in Liverpool and its leadership, and we look forward to supporting the club’s continued success for years to come.”

Sports

Chelsea to rebrand under-19 and under-21 teams as 'Cobham Next Gen'

Published

9 minutes ago

August 18, 2026

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The club say the name change will “more accurately reflects the age profile of our leading academy side.”

Sports

Aston Villa see Aaron Wan-Bissaka loan offer rejected by West Ham

Published

17 minutes ago

August 18, 2026

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Wan-Bissaka, 28, has made 65 appearances across his two seasons at West Ham, having previously played 190 times for Manchester United. Maria Lysaker/Getty Images

West Ham United have rejected a loan offer from Aston Villa for full-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

Villa made an approach of a straight loan but this was dismissed by West Ham.

The Athletic reported on July 7 that West Ham would be open to selling Wan-Bissaka this summer, and valued the former Manchester United defender at £25million ($33.5m). Villa have now stepped up their interest and hope to strike an agreement below this figure, having seen their loan proposal pushed back.

Villa had been exploring a deal for Wan-Bissaka, 28, in recent weeks, with manager Unai Emery keen to strengthen at right-back and provide competition for Matty Cash.

A move for Emerson Royal, the Flamengo right-back formerly of Tottenham Hotspur, did not materialise, while The Athletic revealed on Monday evening that Kosta Nedeljkovic is set to join Rangers on an initial loan but with a £4m obligation, based on appearances.

Wan-Bissaka made 25 league appearances for West Ham last campaign as they suffered relegation to the Championship. He started two of West Ham’s final seven matches of the season, displaced by Kyle Walker-Peters at right-back, after the former Southampton defender also covered the position when Wan-Bissaka represented DR Congo at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Wan-Bissaka has made 65 appearances across his two seasons at West Ham, having previously played 190 times for Manchester United, where he won the League Cup and FA Cup in 2023 and 2024 respectively.

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Sports

CFP odds, win totals, projections for every Group of 6 team: Can Notre Dame win 11 games?

Published

24 minutes ago

August 18, 2026

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Conference realignment continues to reshape college football.

This year, it revives the Pac-12, which returns as an eight-team league after two seasons as only a two-team partnership between Oregon State and Washington State.

Boise State enters the season as the clear-cut favorite to win this new iteration of the classic conference. San Diego State, Texas State, Fresno State and Washington State each have a decent chance while Utah State, Oregon State and Colorado State are the long shots.

The Mountain West is the conference most affected by the formation of the new Pac-12. Five schools left the MWC while three replaced them: North Dakota State from the FCS level, Northern Illinois from the Mid-American Conference and UTEP from Conference USA. New Mexico and UNLV are positioned as effective co-favorites in the 10-team league with newcomer North Dakota State, which is postseason-eligible in its first season at the FBS level, right behind.

Liberty is the consensus favorite in CUSA, which is down to 10 teams after Louisiana Tech and UTEP left, ahead of Western Kentucky.

Miami (Ohio), Toledo and Western Michigan are the three-headed monster at the top of the odds to win the MAC, which scoffed at the idea of regionalism by replacing the departed Northern Illinois with Sacramento State.

James Madison is the clear favorite in the Sun Belt, which saw Louisiana Tech replace Texas State.

The American Conference is the only one to be unchanged from last season. Navy is the favorite on DraftKings and BetMGM, though FanDuel gives UTSA the nod.

Boise State is the favorite to get to the College Football Playoff from the Group of 6 with 5-to-1 odds. UTSA, Navy, James Madison and UNLV are viewed as the other top contenders for now.

As for the two independent teams, Notre Dame and UConn, the Fighting Irish own the highest win total (11.5) in college football heading into the season.

Now let’s take a look at each of these conferences (and the indepedents) through the lens of Austin Mock’s model by comparing his projections to the betting odds, from win totals for every team to their chances of winning their respective conferences and making the Playoff.

XWINS is the average number of wins a team got through Mock’s simulations. W ODDS is the currently listed win total line for each team on DraftKings. CONF is the chance Mock’s model projects a team to win the conference. CFP is the chance Mock’s model projects a team to make the 12-team Playoff.

Independent projections

team	xWins	W odds	CFP
	10.5	11.5	10.4%
	4.9	5.5	0.0%

AAC odds

AAC projections

xW	W odds	Conf	CFP
8.2	7.5	25.6%	8.5%
8.3	8.5	14.4%	6.6%
7.4	7.5	14.4%	3.4%
7.2	7.5	13.6%	3.1%
7.2	7.5	9.5%	4.3%
6.8	7.5	8.0%	2.8%
6.5	7.5	6.0%	1.4%
6.1	5.5	3.5%	0.8%
5.5	5.5	2.3%	0.6%
5.4	5.5	1.5%	0.2%
4.5	5.5	0.6%	0.1%
3.9	3.5	0.4%	0.1%
4.3	3.5	0.3%	0.1%
3.24	2.5	0.1%	0.0%

CUSA odds

CUSA projections

xW	W odds	Conf	CFP
8.2	8.5	24.1%	2.5%
7.8	7.5	23.6%	3.0%
6.7	6.5	14.1%	0.9%
6.1	7.5	13.2%	0.6%
6.3	5.5	12.8%	0.7%
5.7	6.5	4.5%	0.4%
4.5	4.5	2.5%	0.1%
4.3	4.5	2.2%	0.1%
4.8	3.5	2.1%	0.1%
3.9	3.5	0.9%	0.0%

MAC odds

MAC projections

xW	W odds	Conf	CFP
8.3	7.5	30.3%	2.9%
7.4	7.5	18.4%	1.1%
6.9	7.5	17.6%	1.2%
6.7	6.5	9.7%	0.7%
6.2	5.5	6.9%	0.3%
5.7	6.5	5.1%	0.5%
5.1	4.5	3.8%	0.1%
6.2	5.5	3.1%	0.2%
5.3	4.5	2.5%	0.2%
4.3	4.5	1.3%	0.1%
3.6	3.5	0.8%	0.0%
3.1	3.5	0.3%	0.0%
3.9	2.5	0.2%	0.0%

Mountain West odds

Mountain West projections

xW	W odds	Conf	CFP
8.5	8.5	28.7%	7.8%
8.0	8.5	23.8%	5.4%
7.9	7.5	20.1%	5.8%
7.5	7.5	13.4%	3.3%
6.7	7.5	8.4%	1.1%
5.9	6.5	2.3%	0.4%
4.8	4.5	1.6%	0.2%
4.6	4.5	1.5%	0.1%
3.3	3.5	0.2%	0.0%
3.2	3.5	0.1%	0.0%

Pac-12 odds

Pac-12 projections

xW	W odds	Conf	CFP
8.1	7.5	40.4%	7.7%
7.3	7.5	18.3%	3.2%
7.1	6.5	13.3%	1.7%
6.5	6.5	12.5%	1.3%
5.4	4.5	8.9%	0.8%
5.1	4.5	3.7%	0.2%
4.6	3.5	2.2%	0.2%
3.8	3.5	0.7%	0.0%

Sun Belt odds

Sun Belt projections

xW	W odds	Conf	CFP
8.4	8.5	25.8%	7.7%
8.1	7.5	24.4%	5.5%
7.1	7.5	9.3%	1.7%
7.1	7.5	7.6%	0.7%
6.7	6.5	7.5%	1.0%
5.9	5.5	6.2%	0.6%
6.1	4.5	4.6%	0.7%
5.9	5.5	4.3%	0.6%
6.0	6.5	4.0%	0.5%
4.9	4.5	3.0%	0.4%
4.6	3.5	1.1%	0.1%
4.7	3.5	1.0%	0.1%
4.3	4.5	0.7%	0.1%
3.7	3.5	0.5%	0.0%