The search for Jürgen Klopp’s replacement is anything from simple. It would have been a daunting challenge at the best of times, but Liverpool has made matters even more difficult by pursuing a broader structural rearrangement.
The hunt for a permanent sporting director is ongoing, following Jörg Schmadtke’s departure at the end of the January transfer window. His stint was always going to be transitory, but Liverpool now finds itself hunting for someone who will play a far more influential role in the foreseeable future direction of the club, probably playing a factor in appointing Klopp.
Michael Edwards is widely acknowledged as the ideal prospect. The position has not been really fixed since he left in the summer of 2022, and Liverpool would prefer to rehire him — but he has stated unequivocally that he is not interested in returning as sporting director.
But Liverpool is so eager to re-sign him that FSG has proposed a higher-level, more overseeing role. According to Sky Sports, meetings were recently held in the United States to achieve this goal. According to The Athletic, a deal to have Edwards join FSG is nearing completion. Richard Hughes, who announced his departure from Bournemouth earlier this week, would become Liverpool’s sporting director.
That demonstrates how highly Edwards is regarded, and Liverpool would undoubtedly gain a world-class operator if it could pull this off – but the clock is ticking. Here are five things that will absolutely happen if he rejoins the team.
One thing has been increasingly evident since Edwards’ name was initially floated: he will not return to Liverpool in the same manner. It’s only logical that Klopp’s power rose at the club as his reputation expanded, but while that dynamic is likely to reset under a new manager, merely being sports director no longer appears to be appealing
If Edwards takes over, selecting a new sporting director will be top on his priority list. One would expect Edwards to take on much of the responsibility for selecting the next manager, decreasing the urgency of finding a Schmadtke replacement to some level, but it is not a post Liverpool will want to leave unfilled for too long. The transfer window is just a few months away.
Links to Richard Hughes are sure to grow. Currently at Bournemouth, he made an intriguing statement that he will depart the club at the conclusion of the season — and he has a good relationship with Edwards. According to the Mail, the duo are ‘close,’ and Edwards also rates
Whether or whether Edwards is involved, Liverpool and FSG are likely to stick to the data-driven approaches that have served them so well in the past. But bringing in one of the actual industry leaders would undoubtedly strengthen that approach.
Most clearly, this would affect transfer market transactions. However, given a broader responsibility, it remains to be seen how Edwards will use the data to improve the club’s operations across multiple areas. Perhaps this slightly different task will be part of what draws him back into the fold.
Liverpool has three key players nearing the end of their contracts: Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and Trent Alexander-Arnold. That scenario isn’t very concerning just now, but there will need to be some progress once the necessary backroom personnel are in place.
This is particularly interesting given rumors that Edwards became dissatisfied with some of the renewals issued near the conclusion of his term. According to the Telegraph, Klopp became ‘the most dominant voice,’ and there were ‘strong conversations’ regarding the benefits of new contracts for aging players.
However, this does not necessarily mean bad news for Salah and Van Dijk. Finally, Edwards will want to go where the data take him—and with both still indisputably essential performers.
