John W Henry has found great success with the Moneyball approach over the years. The fundamental theory, crafted by Billy Beane, general manager of baseball team Oakland A's, utilized data analysis to discover a host of hitters and pitchers whose statistics indicated they possessed immense untapped potential.
Henry, who amassed his wealth through number-crunching in the finance sector, adopted Beane's methods as owner of the Boston Red Sox, leading them to their first World Series victory in 86 years. Since 2010, the 75 year old billionaire has applied this philosophy to football, achieving remarkable success at Liverpool - another iconic ball club that was teetering on the brink of an uncertain future before Henry's Fenway Sports Group swooped in to save them from bankruptcy.
Liverpool has reclaimed its spot at the apex of football over the past seven seasons and is on the cusp of securing a second Premier League title, matching Manchester United's record of being English champions for the 21st time. However, amidst what has become the contract saga of the season, Liverpool faces the possibility of losing three of the greatest players of this, or any other, Anfield era.
Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold could all depart for free in the summer. The fact that Liverpool have allowed this perfect storm to brew is not a good look for a club that prides itself on getting these things right.
However, Salah will be turning 33 in June, just a month before Van Dijk rings in his 34th birthday. Despite both players having exceptional seasons, the figures simply don't tally for FSG - and Henry and his team are all about the numbers.
It's unclear whether the Premier League's top forward and defender are demanding too much money, too many years, or both, as all involved parties have kept mum about the actual negotiations. A decade ago, Liverpool let slip Raheem Sterling's £100,000-a-week wage demands, but it didn't stop the England winger from fulfilling his desire to join Manchester City.
This did result in Sterling becoming a target of animosity for the Kop. Liverpool have been cautious not to repeat this strategy of leveraging public opinion to put pressure on their dissenting trio.
The crux of the matter is that all three players must do what's best for themselves. Liverpool had the opportunity to pocket a tidy $25 million for Alexander-Arnold when Madrid expressed interest in January.
However, the Reds wisely saw more value in retaining him as they were in the running for an unprecedented quadruple. Once again, it was a numbers game. Salah and Van Dijk appear to have plenty of fuel left in their tanks. It's hard to imagine them performing any differently next season.
But Manchester City once held the same belief about Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan. Liverpool's history has proven time and again that no player is indispensable. Not Steve McManaman, Michael Owen, Fernando Torres, Luis Suarez, Philippe Coutinho or even Steven Gerrard.
The unique challenge this summer is the potential loss of three star players simultaneously. Rest assured, FSG will have done their homework.
