The New England Sport Ventures group finally crossed the I’s and dotted the T’s on a deal after another day of negotiations, this time out of the High Court after Liverpool’s former owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks had their injunction against the sale dismissed.

Henry’s NESV group agreed in principle a deal to buy the club last week but had been held up by Hicks and Gillett.

However, the American duo finally admitted defeat on Friday meaning the £300million deal could go ahead.

Henry takes charge of a club who have made their worst-ever start to a Premier League season and find themselves currently entrenched in the bottom three with just one win from their last seven matches.

Liverpool (11/1 to be relegated) have looked a shadow of the side that pushed Manchester United all the way in the title race two years ago and Henry appears to have his work cut out to turn the club around.

The Reds’ first test under their new owners will come against local rivals Everton (6/4 to beat Liverpool) on Sunday, who themselves have also made a sloppy start to the season.

The Merseyside duo could both find themselves inside the bottom three by the time they kick off on Sunday – should either Wolves or West Ham win on Saturday.

It would be the first time the ‘friendly derby’ has seen the two sides both start the match in the relegation zone.

Henry has said he will tackle the club’s on and off-field problems “head on” as he looks to restore the Reds’ glory days.

“I am proud and humbled,” said Henry. “We have a lot of work to do and I cannot tell you how happy I am to have finally got the deal done.

“It’s too early to say what we’re going to do but we’re here to win, we have a tradition of winning – we (the Boston Red Sox) are the second-highest spending club in Major League Baseball and we’re here to win, we will do whatever is necessary.”

Given Liverpool’s threadbare squad Henry will be expected to invest heavily in new players if he is to give Hodgson the tools necessary to do the job he was brought in to do.

The former Fulham manager has come under increasing pressure in recent weeks given Liverpool’s poor start to the season, but hopes things will now get better.

Hodgson has admitted that the ownership saga and the instability of the club has taken its toll on the players and is now hoping the takeover will put their minds at rest ahead of Sunday’s big match.

“The fact is we have six points from seven games because we have lost games we should have done better in,” said Hodgson, when asked about how it had affected his players.

“But it would also be naive of me to think that these things don’t matter.

“We are very proud of club, very proud to work at club and when club is in a bad situation it is bound to affect you in some way.”

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