Michael Edwards is a name many Liverpool fans have become accustomed to hearing in recent years.
Leading the Reds' successful transfer strategy up until his recent departure from the club, Edwards' reputation continued to grow among supporters despite carrying out all of his work behind-the-scenes.
It was announced in November he would be stepping down from his position of sporting director, with an internal decision being made for assistant sporting director Julian Ward to take the reins.
READ MORE: Liverpool close to sealing club record £85m Darwin Nunez transfer as contract details revealed
While owners FSG made repeated attempts to convince Edwards to extend his tenure at Liverpool, Ward was identified as a potential successor some time ago. Club sources are confident he is the best candidate to follow Edwards and build on the work that has been done over the past decade since the latter arrived in November 2011.
But who is the Reds' new transfer expert and what is his background? We have explained the key details below.
The 40-year-old Ward has had a background in sports science, which he studied at John Moores University. During his time, he also served as a professional footballer for Morecambe. His career within the game continued further down the line in Northern Ireland, representing Larne and Lisburn Distillery.
He became a performance analyst for the FA in 2001 before joining ProZone - the pioneer of performance analysis in sport- a year later. Ward's first big opportunity arose in August 2008 as he became head of analysis and technical scouting for the Portuguese Football Federation. It is understood Ward was recommended for this role by a mutual friend of then head coach of the national team, Carlos Queiroz.
A move to Manchester City arose in November 2010, taking on the role of the club's South American scouting strategist. Ward was part of the Sky Blues' team as they made history by securing a first Premier League title during the 2011/12 season.
Liverpool secured the services of Ward in October 2012, appointed as the club's European scouting manager with a focus on Spain and Portugal regions. The summer of 2013 saw Sporting Lisbon defender Tiago Ilori arrive through the doors at Anfield, with Lazar Markovic being signed from Benfica the following year. It's also believed Ward played a key role in Roberto Firmino being recruited in 2015.
Ward worked his way up to become loan pathways and football partnerships manager in October 2015, a role where an emphasis is placed on developing young players at the club and looking to the future. Recent successful examples of his decision-making include the decision to seal a temporary switch to Swansea City for Rhian Brewster, where the striker scored 11 times in 22 league appearances during the 2019/20 season.
After raising his profile during his first-ever loan away from Anfield, Liverpool were then able to cash in on Brewster for a lucrative fee of £23million. The destination of Blackburn Rovers for Harvey Elliott back in September 2020 was also carefully decided on, with the Reds feeling the 19-year-old would be ideally positioned to benefit from then manager Tony Mowbray's track record of honing young talent.
One of Ward's major strengths has been his ability to maintain strong relations with his Portuguese connections, benefiting Klopp's side on more than one occasion. Ahead of the 2019 Champions League final with Tottenham Hotspur, he arranged for Benfica to play Liverpool in a training match as part of their preparations. The Portuguese side are understood to have adopted the same formation and tactical approach as Spurs, ensuring the Reds were fully prepared of what to expect in Madrid.
Negotiating a deal for Darwin Nunez has been Ward's latest assignment, which is now close to completion after the two clubs came to an agreement regarding the payment structure of the transfer. Liverpool's sporting director reportedly flew to Portugal to hold face-to-face talks with senior Benfica officials as talks continued, with Rui Pedro Braz (sporting director) and Rui Costa (president) the two figures involved in making major decisions at club level.
Also instrumental in the deal to sign Luis Diaz from Porto in January, this is an area of the market the Reds may well continue to exploit in the coming years. After identifying the Colombian as a prime target for the summer transfer window, Ward helped to accelerate a move after Tottenham Hotspur's interest became clear.
Promoted to assistant sporting director in December 2020, Ward was trusted by Fenway Sports Group president Mike Gordon to continue showcasing his skills by working closely alongside Edwards. Less than a year later, it was confirmed Edwards was to seek a new challenge away from Anfield. This paved the way for Ward to fill the void of sporting director, with Edwards adamant his successor would be a worthy replacement.
"Julian has been building up the skill set for this role for many years and there are countless elements of his development that could be highlighted, none more so than the outstanding work he did in creating our loan department six years ago. It was during this period that he not only laid the groundwork for a long-term process that continues to provide significant benefit to players and club, he also accelerated his learning on many of the aspects you deal with as a sporting director," the Reds' outgoing transfer chief told liverpoolfc.com.
"Last year, he took on the role of assistant sporting director and over the past 12 months he has been introduced to other facets of the role that are vital to its success. Again, Julian’s elevation is wholly in keeping with what I believe to be a key factor of the Liverpool Way, with promotion from within ensuring expertise, experience and institutional knowledge are cherished in the way that they should be. Over the remainder of this season, I will continue to support him as we complete the leadership transition, working closely with Mike Gordon – the man who never sleeps."
