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Liverpool Echo

Sport

Dave Powell

Mike Gordon change has given game away about Liverpool summer transfers

Liverpool Mike Gordon Alexis Mac Allister FSG Jurgen Klopp Mac Allister Jorg Schmadtke Khephren Thuram Echo UEFA Champions League

For a considerable amount of time last season there was the feeling that Liverpool had lost a major part of what had made them such a force in recent years.

The manager remained, the key players largely remained, but amid the backdrop of a mooted sale of the club by owners Fenway Sports Group which swiftly turned into a hunt for investment in the club via the sale of equity to a minority partner, key personnel behind the scenes had begun to depart.

Michael Edwards’ exit seemed to fire the starter’s pistol, with his successor Julian Ward announcing that he would be stepping down at the end of this season, just a year into the role.

There was also the news of the forthcoming exit of the club’s director of research Dr Ian Graham, a key part of the club’s adoption of data analytics over the course of the past decade.

The search for investment had taken FSG president Mike Gordon away from his day-to-day involvement with the club, too. Gordon, so long Jurgen Klopp’s main ally within the FSG leadership team, had been seconded to spearhead the investment search, to filter the genuine expressions of interest and the ones that meshed with what the Reds owners were seeking from a preferred partner.

That is a search that continues, albeit the needle hasn’t moved significantly in recent months. It remains an ongoing process, but there is nothing that is to materialise imminently, the ECHO understands.

But what does appear imminent is the acquisition of Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton & Hove Albion in a deal where the Reds could reportedly pay 'significantly less than' £60m for the services of a 24-year-old World Cup winner who has already amassed almost 100 Premier League games and made the transition from the South American game to the England’s top tier seamlessly.

Mac Allister’s impending arrival comes a matter of days after Liverpool confirmed the appointment of Jorg Schmadtke as their new sporting director, albeit on a short-term basis for the time being to help navigate them through a crucial summer.

Accompanying the club's announcement of the appointment of Schmadtke were comments from Gordon. It was another sign that he has now come back into the fold and has his hands on the wheel once again when it comes to the Reds and their future direction, although some of his previous role now sits in the remit of CEO Billy Hogan, a man who FSG have much faith in and who is expected to play a more prominent role in the wider company in the years to come.

Liverpool are not in next season’s Champions League and will miss out on the enormous revenue streams that come with qualification for the elite club competition in European football. There is an acknowledgement that with emerging powers such as Newcastle United now with a seat at the table, and with the likes of Chelsea likely to be willing to spend big again to back new boss Mauricio Pochettino, ensuring that the mistakes of 2022/23 aren’t repeated and the Reds get themselves back in the top four come the end of next season.

Gordon getting back involved allows for better planning, especially at a time when there has been significant upheaval behind the scenes. Gordon returning to the Liverpool fold is a signal that FSG have acknowledged some of the problems that had manifested, and with a steady hand in Gordon and his pre-existing relationship with Klopp it provides the greatest indication yet that at a time when the club is undergoing change on and off the field, where the break up of a side that delivered such success in recent years is on the horizon, that continuity and adherence to the structure and strategy that went before is of paramount importance to the Liverpool owners.

The addition of Cody Gakpo at the start of the year had all the hallmarks of a Liverpool recruitment move. After a tough first couple of months the 24-year-old Dutchman finished the season in fine form and his £37m fee looks like it could be a bargain. Should Mac Allister blossom at the Reds and take his game to the next level, as many believe he has the tools to do, a fee lower than the initially anticipated £60m asking price would represent another piece of good business at a time when the club’s bottom line will be squeezed through the absence of Champions League football.

Gordon coming back into the fold provides Klopp with an important ally at a crucial time. It also provides Liverpool with some most welcome calm following a season of tumult.

Speaking exclusively to the ECHO back in March, Liverpool principal owner John W Henry said of Gordon: "Mike remains fully committed to the club. He did take time off for a while this winter, but is a long way off from retirement."

Gordon has been a major figure when it comes to Liverpool’s recruitment policy at crucial points in the club’s recent history. This summer, with the departure of some key players and the need to revitalise, having a strong sense of what went before and how it impacted Liverpool so greatly will be an important asset for the club both on and off the field.

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