To the uninitiated, the impending exit of Michael Edwards is a giant leap into the unknown for Liverpool.
Over his five-and-a-half years as the club's only sporting director to date - and the years that preceded it following his arrival in 2011 - he has established a reputation as one of football's most diligent and serious of operators.
Not necessarily 'serious' in person, as those who have worked closely with the man affectionately known as 'Eddie' these past few years - the ones who describe him as likable and dry humoured - will attest to, but certainly from a professional perspective.
It's been during the tenure of his current role where Edwards has taken his already polished status within football to mythical proportions with a fanbase that regularly cheers on their heroes he helped bring to the club.
So it is understandable then, why Edwards' departure later this year has been viewed with some apprehension.
It would be easy to assume that the regular flow of top-class performers who have been brought to the club on Edwards' watch, alongside manager Jurgen Klopp, will be turned off once the vaunted Anfield official rides off into the sunset.
The reality is, though, for all the sterling work he has contributed, the structural pillars put in place by Edwards himself, owners Fenway Sports Group and Klopp leave them well placed to continue thriving.
That is why there is little doubt that Julian Ward is the right man to step into the sporting director's shoes.
"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," Edwards revealed in his open letter to Liverpool fans last year.
"None more so than the outstanding work he did in creating our loan department six years ago."
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It was during Ward's position as loan and pathways manager where he was able to carve out the standing he currently has within the ranks at Anfield and the wider football industry.
After taking on the role as Edwards' assistant in late 2020, Ward has gradually stepped up his duties as he has prepared for a soft launch as his boss' successor later this year.
Aintree-born Ward, who did a Masters degree at the University of Ulster, previously worked for Preston North End and the Football Association before a two-year stint as Manchester City's South American scout.
Ward moved to Liverpool from City in 2012 and worked within the scouting team for three years before the pathways role emerged and that us where his name really began to ascend.
"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," Edwards added of his successor.
Ward played a key role in ensuring Liverpool were able to receive £11m from Lyon for Xherdan Shaqiri last summer, which was viewed as no mean feat considering he was dealing with the notorious negotiator that is OL president Jean-Michel Aulas.
It was the £50m deal for Luis Diaz, though, where the soon-to-be sporting director really began to take the lead.
With Edwards taking more of a backseat advisory role, it is understood Ward's work helped steer Diaz the way of Anfield after Tottenham made a move early last week.
If there was any angst among the Reds' wider supporter base over an Edward-less Liverpool, the big-money move for Diaz should do plenty to ease those concerns as the evolution of the Klopp era goes on.
After Diaz's deal was rubber stamped on Sunday, Klopp said: "I also must make clear my appreciation to our ownership and football operations team for how they have managed to act so decisively to get this done."
He may not have named him directly, but Klopp's praise for Ward was obvious.
There is a belief among insiders at the club that Liverpool's successful strategy in the transfer market will continue to work because of the way the staff operate at all levels.
So while Edwards' personable approach and extensive contacts book will be missed, it won't be viewed as the seismic loss it might have once appeared to be on the surface.
As a result, Anfield sources don't anticipate any major upheaval when he is replaced by Ward in a kind of 21st century incarnate of the famous Bootroom succession culture that existed for decades.
"To be honest, I don't think things are going to change too much," says one senior source at the club.
"And it looks difficult to see a big impact or change in the way that we do things because there are people inside the scouting and recruitment department who are top class in all levels.
"Every single person inside the staff, they are all of a similar profile. People who are low-profile and hard-working and it is a small department.
"Michael has been a very important person, but he has always been supported or complemented by the other people at the club."
One trait that Ward will continue in the department is the well-known discretionary approach that served Liverpool well under Edwards and helped elevate the University of Sheffield to the role as some sort of transfer deity in the eyes of fans.
"As was the case with myself, I doubt you will hear much from him," Edwards added in his letter, which was published on Liverpoolfc.com in November.
"But on this occasion I will speak on his behalf in the knowledge that what I have to say will be greeted with widespread agreement by everyone who has come across him both inside and outside the club."
The less he spoke, the more the intrigue grew; it will be the same for Ward.
He will have to make some tough decisions in the role but that is something he is accustomed to in his previous position when it was often his job to break the news to players on the fringes that their careers were best served away from Anfield.
On Ward, Marko Grujic said last year: “Julian Ward is a great man.
"He’s given me a lot of good advice over the years. I’m not surprised that he’s been given the top job at Liverpool. He understands football.
"He has the knowledge and the contacts and he has the skills to take it on."
There may be some teething problems along the way, but Ward is already proving he is the ideal candidate to replace Edwards.
