Hicks Says He's Committed to Liverpool, Not Selling to DIC

Well, it didn’t take Liverpool owner Tom Hicks long to rebuff claims that he’s closing in on a deal with Dubai International Capital to sell the club.

Hicks issued a statement that included the following:

“'The reality is that I am personally, professionally and financially committed to the club and its supporters and that I will continue to honor that commitment to the best of my ability now and in the future.”

The cynic in me says that quote means it’s a lock Liverpool is all but sold. The club’s debt is no secret, neither is its unrest with coach Rafa Benitez. If it weren’t for Liverpool’s Champions League success (two finals, one title in three seasons), there’d be precious little to cheer at Anfield.

Liverpool is carrying 105 million pounds of debt after some refinancing a year ago, most of that going toward a replacement for Anfield; another chunk for transfers.

Soccernet has more, including this tidbit: “[Hicks and Gillett] are shortly going to have to go back to the banks to ask for a further £300million in loans to finance the rest of the new stadium at Stanley Park.”