Michael Edwards Return Confirmed

[Vincent Vega]

 

[Doc Pheezin]

Nice, be like a new signing

[Aventus]

Good news. 

[niallers]

Should save the club millions.

[YorkshireRed]

He can go in the summer. 

[navbasi]

Edwards will be given a prominent position within the club, which would see him lead football operations

Chris Bascombe 12 March 2024 • 9:00am

Michael Edwards, one of the key architects of the Liverpool renaissance led by Jurgen Klopp, is returning to the club in a senior role.

 

After months of talks between Edwards and the club’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, the former sporting director has agreed to assume a critical position to help preserve and enhance the football legacy in the post-Klopp era.

 

Edwards will not return as the new sporting director, a position he gave up in 2022 after ten years as one of the most influential figures in an acclaimed recruitment team. Instead, he will oversee football operations and his first priority will be to appoint a sporting director, with Richard Hughes expected to join him this summer having announced his imminent departure from Bournemouth.

 

Edwards will be reunited with others’ who have been crucial in building a Liverpool squad which for the second time in three seasons is competing on all four fronts entering the final months of the season, chief scout Barry Hunter and Head of Recruitment Dave Fallows among them.

 

Luring Edwards back to Liverpool is a coup for FSG, and ends a prolonged period of negotiation led by John W. Henry and Michael Gordon. Gordon, another vital component moving forward who remains in charge of club strategy, was determined to bring Edwards back and considered it of paramount importance given the huge void that will be left by Klopp.

 

Liverpool know it is vital to get the managerial appointment right, but also feel stability behind the scenes has been fundamental to the club’s successes since 2015.

 

There has been a danger of a ‘brain drain’ with Klopp taking his backroom coaching staff with him when he departs at the end of this season. Edwards’ comeback means those who have put the structures in place to ensure the coach had the tools to work his magic ‘front of house’ can appoint and help Klopp’s successor, whoever that might be.

 

As Telegraph Sport reported last Wednesday, Edwards’ earlier resistance to a return significantly softened following the last of many fresh Liverpool approaches and he agreed to a face-to-face meeting in Boston with Henry and Gordon to hear how his new role will differ from the last. 

During his 20 months away from Liverpool, Edwards has been one of the most sought after sporting directors in world football and has turned down several chances to return to the Premier League, Chelsea among those who wanted him. Liverpool tried at least twice to bring him back.

Mastermind behind club’s most successful transfer deals

His reputation follows a prolonged spell of successful transfer activity, both buying and selling. On Edwards’ watch, Liverpool famously signed Philippe Coutinho from Inter Milan for £8.5 million before selling him to Barcelona five years later for £142 million.  The proceeds of the sale directly contributed to Liverpool signing Alisson Becker and Fabinho, on top of the £75 million record-breaking deal for Virgil Van Dijk. Liverpool won the Champions League, Premier League and World Club Cup over the following 18 months.

 

There were countless other deals which confirmed Edwards intuitive understanding of how to maximise value in the transfer market, Liverpool winning admiration for how they have stuck to their principles, often walking away from deals when the price is not right, as well as maximising their profits from the squad players they have allowed to leave. Naturally, Edwards most important task alongside Gordon is to decide on the next manager, with Xabi Alonso remaining the favourite but several other candidates under serious consideration.

 

Liverpool were eager to finalise the key executive appointments before pressing ahead with formal approaches to those most suited to continuing Klopp’s outstanding work.

[Vincent Vega]

Paul Joyce’s article from The Times:

 

Michael Edwards returns to Liverpool to lead post-Jürgen Klopp era

 

Edwards back at Anfield as head of football — Bournemouth’s Richard Hughes will be sporting director from this summer after German manager departs Premier League

 

Michael Edwards will help to shape the post-Jürgen Klopp era at Liverpool after agreeing to return in a high-powered role in which he will head football operations for club owner Fenway Sports Group.

 

One of his first tasks will be to finalise a deal to make Richard Hughes Anfield’s new sporting director. Hughes announced last week that he was leaving Bournemouth at the end of the season.

 

Edwards stepped down as sporting director two years ago and initially turned down an approach from FSG to come back following Klopp’s announcement in January that he would be leaving at the end of the season.

 

However, FSG’s high-regard for the 44-year-old prompted them to make one final pitch and Edwards held face-to-face talks in Boston ten days ago with principal owner John W Henry and president Mike Gordon.

 

An agreement was reached on Monday following more discussions with Edwards, who has been working as a consultant for Ludonautics, the company set up by Ian Graham, Liverpool’s former director of research.

 

Edwards has always said he would not be a sporting director again, having enjoyed great success in Liverpool’s rise under Klopp where his ability to manipulate the transfer market brought spectacular triumphs both in terms of buys and sales.

 

Mohamed Salah was recruited for an initial £37 million from Roma, for example, while the £142 million sale of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona helped to pay for incoming deals for Virgil van Dijk and Alisson.

 

Details of his exact role are set to follow in due course, but it is understood the challenge mapped out to him by FSG is behind his decision to return in what will be an overarching role.

 

Edwards -– who spent a decade at Anfield between 2012 and 2022 — is an admirer of Hughes and his arrival is considered a formality.

 

Liverpool will hope Hughes, who has been Bournemouth’s sporting director since 2016, will provide stability in a role in which there has been a steady churn since the departure of Edwards. Julian Ward, Edwards’ successor, stepped aside after a year, while Jörg Schmadtke had been a stop-gap appointment with the German leaving in January.

 

A new structure at the top of the club is important as Liverpool look to make progress with appointing Klopp’s replacement.

 

Xabi Alonso has become a front-runner following his work at Bayer Leverkusen, who boast a ten-point lead at the summit of the Bundesliga and have not lost in 36 matches this season, winning 31.

 

The Spaniard spent six years as a player at Anfield, winning the Champions League in 2005, but is also wanted by another of his former clubs, Bayern Munich, who are replacing Thomas Tuchel this summer. Alonso took over Leverkusen in October 2022.

 

Sporting’s Rúben Amorim is also under consideration by Liverpool, while Brighton & Hove Albion’s Roberto De Zerbi has enjoyed a good record against Klopp’s teams, winning two and drawing two in four encounters.

[magicrat]

Happy this is settled in a timely fashion.

Hopefully it will make the club more attractive to prospective new managers 

[Dapower]

I’m sure Xabi will be delighted to work with him welcome back 

[Daisy]

He was shit without Klopp. Not entirely sure about this 

[El Rojo]

1 minute ago, Daisy said:

He was shit without Klopp. Not entirely sure about this 

 

He convinced Klopp to go with Salah over Julian Brandt. That's job for life stuff. 

[Babb'sBurstNad]

We're getting the band back together.

[JohnnyH]

Phew.  Jota can take his time getting back, now we have cover.

[Welsh]

Him coming in makes me think the next manager will be that Sporting guy moreso than Xabi. I don't think Edwards will want a strong figure like Klopp who can overrule his decisions (Obviously I could be wrong)

[Lee909]

45 minutes ago, Daisy said:

He was shit without Klopp. Not entirely sure about this 

 

Not exactly easy to attract top players with Rogers as manager and struggling for top 4 finishes. As soon as he had a manager that could attract talent and champions league football he got good players in

[TheHowieLama]

Finally forced Klopp out.

 

Good man.

[Lee909]

 

 

 

 

 

[Barrington Womble]

6 minutes ago, Welsh said:

Him coming in makes me think the next manager will be that Sporting guy moreso than Xabi. I don't think Edwards will want a strong figure like Klopp who can overrule his decisions (Obviously I could be wrong)

 

Edwards will be judged on success. He's a nerd, I would imagine he will be quite dispassionate about it. He'll look at whatever data he uses to work with Hughes to get it done. I don't think he'll care one way or another about the personality. He'll just do what he thinks is his best chance if success. That might not make the right choice, part of klopp's brilliance here has been his personality and emotional intelligence. That is pretty difficult to measure and quantify. 

[Pidge]

53 minutes ago, Daisy said:

He was shit without Klopp. Not entirely sure about this 

Signed Gomez, Milner and Bobby in the last pre-klopp summer. Ings and Clyne too who were both solid squad additions for little outlay.

 

Less said of Benteke the better, but that's more of a mentality thing on him than anything, plus Klopp wanted Bobby as his sole striker so a bad start became terminal.

[Megadrive Man]

He's back get over it.

[Lee909]

4 minutes ago, Pidge said:

Signed Gomez, Milner and Bobby in the last pre-klopp summer. Ings and Clyne too who were both solid squad additions for little outlay.

 

Less said of Benteke the better, but that's more of a mentality thing on him than anything, plus Klopp wanted Bobby as his sole striker so a bad start became terminal.

 

Sounded at the time that Rodgers was the one demanding Benteke

[Megadrive Man]

4 minutes ago, Pidge said:

Signed Gomez, Milner and Bobby in the last pre-klopp summer. Ings and Clyne too who were both solid squad additions for little outlay.

 

Less said of Benteke the better, but that's more of a mentality thing on him than anything, plus Klopp wanted Bobby as his sole striker so a bad start became terminal.

 

Wasn't the signing of Benteke mainly because Rodgers pushed for him? 

[VladimirIlyich]

I hope this isn't one of those 'never go back' moments.

[Anubis]

Quote

...with Xabi Alonso remaining the favourite but several other candidates under serious consideration.

 

No. There are no others. Just Alonso. Get on with it Micheal, or else....

[TheHowieLama]

20 minutes ago, Welsh said:

Him coming in makes me think the next manager will be that Sporting guy moreso than Xabi. 

 

I would be surprised if the new fella hasn't already been decided on, approached and hopefully, nearly locked down already.

Edwards having nothing to do with any of that.