The Liverpool boss met Michael Edwards in Boston on Sunday to try to convince the club’s former sporting director to shape the post-Jurgen Klopp era at Anfield.
Senior executives including Fenway Sports Group principal owner John W. Henry and president Mike Gordon have held talks with Edwards about returning to the club he left in 2022. The 44-year-old is a consultant at Sports Consultants When Klopp steps down this summer after nine hugely successful years as manager, FSG believes Ludonautics is the ideal person to lead Liverpool’s transition. However, club owners will need to offer a stronger role than sporting director to lure Edwards back.
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Edwards has turned down offers from a number of clubs, including Chelsea, since ending his decade-long association with Liverpool and played a key role in the club’s transformation under Klopp. In January, he rejected an initial approach from FSG about reviving his career as Liverpool’s sporting director and may want full control of a more far-reaching role, such as director of football operations, before accepting an invitation to return.
Edwards is expected to lead the recruiting and analytics department. He will lead the appointment of a new sporting director and Liverpool manager, with Xabi Alonso the frontrunner to succeed Klopp. The club’s new football structure is expected to be formed in the coming weeks.
FSG’s concerted effort to re-hire Edwards demonstrates the company’s belief that Edwards is the best person to shape the next era of Liverpool. Owners have been searching for a permanent sporting director since Julian Ward, Edwards’ former right-hand man and successor, unexpectedly announced he would be leaving in the summer of 2023. Jörg Schmatek was brought in as a temporary measure to help Klopp rebuild. in the summer and left at the end of the January transfer window. Klopp’s decision to leave changes the requirements for the new sporting director, from being able to work with an experienced manager to handling the transition period.
Alonso is the leading candidate for the Liverpool manager job but, unlike Bayern Munich, the Premier League leaders want to respect his efforts to win the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen rather than openly court their popular former centre-back. Field players courtship. Alonso is keenly aware of Liverpool’s interest but Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim is also being considered and has other suitors.
