Update 2: Henry humbled as Reds deal is sealed

New England Sports Ventures today completed the £300million takeover of Liverpool with new owner John W Henry saying he is "proud and humbled" by the responsibility.

The owners of the Boston Red Sox have taken control of the club after Tom Hicks and George Gillett were defeated in their legal battle to stop the takeover.

Hicks and Gillett are promising to sue for more than £1billion but their hugely unpopular three-and-a-half-year rein at the club is over.

NESV said the club's debt servicing costs would drop from £30million a year to £2million-£3million.

Henry, the principal owner of NESV, said: "On behalf of the entire NESV partnership, I want to express how incredibly proud and humbled we are to be confirmed as the new owners of Liverpool FC.

"We regard our role as that of stewards for the club with a primary focus on returning the club to greatness on and off the field for the long-term.

"We are committed first and foremost to winning. We have a history of winning, and today we want LFC supporters to know that this approach is what we intend to bring to this great club."

Liverpool's independent chairman Martin Broughton added: "I am delighted that we have been able to successfully conclude the sale process which has been thorough and extensive.

"The board decided to accept NESV's offer on the basis that it best met the criteria we set out originally for a new owner. NESV is buying Liverpool in order to put it on an excellent financial footing and continue to develop it internationally.

"This is a good deal which comprehensively resolves the pressing issue of the club's debt and should give staff, players and fans great confidence regarding the future of Liverpool FC."

Spirit of Shankly, the fans' group who have been among the biggest critics of Hicks and Gillett, welcomed Henry's reign with cautious optimism.

James McKenna, a spokesman for the group, told Sky Sports News: "Hopefully this is the start of a bright future. We certainly welcome the new owners but they've got to come in and prove they can do the job.

"We hope the board have done their job in ensuring they bring in the right people.

"Liverpool FC have needed stability ever since Hicks and Gillett came in with their broken promises and lies. We need a period of stability and to get back to our old ways.

"Liverpool FC doesn't need a Sheikh Mansour or a Roman Abramovich to compete in the transfer market, we generate enough money that has, for the last three years, been used to pay debt."

Liverpool managing director Christian Purslow, who Hicks and Gillett unsuccessfully attempted to oust from the board in a bid to block the NESV deal, was content with the day's work.

Although he said he was unsure about his own future at the Anfield club, he said: "We've sorted out our financial issues once and for all and we can now get back to football.

"It was incredibly civilised and it's just a pleasure to work with people like Martin Broughton. We have the best lawyers in London...it was tranquility."

Purslow also said fans need not be concerned by the fact that Henry comes from the same American sporting background as the outgoing owners.

"Where your passport comes form isn't a priority," he stressed. "The club now has virtually no debt and a lot of our competitors would love to say that."