Liverpool have established themselves as one of the very best teams in Europe under Jurgen Klopp’s watch. From struggling to qualify for the Champions League, the German quickly transformed the Reds into a side that would be champions of England, Europe and the world, reaching European Cup final after European Cup final and establishing themselves as Man City’s main title-rivals.
Seven years on from the German’s arrival at Anfield and Sadio Mane ’s exit to Bayern Munich has seemingly signalled the end of his first great Liverpool side. With the Reds squad that has delivered success in recent years ageing, such a day was always coming and, having signed a contract extension until 2026, Klopp is now focussed on building his side’s next generation.
As a result, while the likes of Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah will follow Mane out of the exit door sooner rather than later, Liverpool are in safe hands going forward. Despite entering a transitional period, they are well-placed to continue recent success with the signings of Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Calvin Ramsay and Fabio Carvalho showing this soft launch is taking place in plain sight.
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In years gone by, the exit of a key player like Mane would have been greeted with horror, leaving aghast Kopites to wonder where their side goes next. The fact that such a reluctant loss hasn’t been perceived as the wheels coming off at Anfield shows the transformation that has been undertaken behind the scenes at the club over the past decade, compared to the final days of Tom Hicks and George Gillett’s doomed ownership before FSG bought the club.
Sporting director Michael Edwards has been crucial to such a turnaround. And while it is simplistic to limit his contributions to just transfer activity, the fact that Liverpool have gone from panic-buying Mario Balotelli after losing Luis Suarez and missing out on Alexis Sanchez and Loic Remy to swiftly concluding a deal for first-choice target Nunez once it became Mane wanted to leave demonstrates the difference behind the scenes at Anfield which is there for all to see.
Indeed, Reds were arguably more apprehensive about Edwards leaving the club, in comparison to Mane, when his summer exit was announced back in November, with memories of their previous failings firmly in the mind. Fortunately, with Julian Ward being promoted from within, there is confidence in this passing on of the baton.
His legacy on Merseyside is the creation of the football operations team’s clear plan and vision. For better or worse, Liverpool have a clear strategy in place to work towards, which will remain beyond their departing sporting director, and while it is ultimately judged by results, so far they speak for themselves.
But while losing Edwards’ services might not be overly costly as a result, with him ensuring the smoothest of handovers to aid Liverpool’s continued success after his departure, his next move could prompt rather different emotions inside Anfield and certainly deal more of a blow than Mane’s exit ever could.
Since his Reds exit was first rumoured, Edwards has found himself linked with a number of top European clubs across the continent, such as Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain. But the latest links to rivals closer to home will be enough to send shivers down Kopite spines.
Recent reports claim that both Chelsea, fresh from being taken over by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, and Manchester United, as they look to overhaul their transfer team, are interested in appointing the former Reds chief.
Given Edwards’ success at Anfield, it is easy to see why. After all, the new regime at Chelsea will be wanting to replicate the Reds’ success as they look to gatecrash the City/Liverpool dominance both domestically and on the continent. Their strategy is one to learn from.
Meanwhile, United’s failings over the past decade following Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement have coincided with their bitter-rivals’ own rise. With CEO Richard Arnold recently bemoaning how the Red Devils have wasted £1bn and ‘f***ing burned through cash’ on ill-judged transfers and by chopping and changing manager after manager, it’s clear there has been no-one steering the ship since the legendary Scot’s own exit in 2013.
Liverpool have benefitted under Edwards’ leadership and are now at risk of seeing him have a similar impact with one of their rivals. While he will know all the ins and outs of Anfield wherever he goes next, the Reds also know first-hand just how quickly he could turn around fortunes at Old Trafford by implementing their own clear vision and strategy.
And while it’s inconceivable for a player to move between Liverpool and United these days, it’s a different story off the pitch and behind the scenes where such decisions don’t face the same tribal scrutiny, as demonstrated by Andy O'Boyle’s appointment as deputy football director at Old Trafford earlier this summer.
Meanwhile, there has already been a suggestion that if he took over at Stamford Bridge, he’d be able to take advantage of the impasse in Mohamed Salah’s contract negotiations to lure him back to Chelsea.
Fortunately for the Reds, it has been reported that Edwards has initially rejected the Londoners’ advances while the MEN report United are unlikely to move for the former Liverpool man. Yet they claim he is likely to end up at Chelsea, with it remaining to be seen if he wants an initial break from football after over a decade at Anfield.
Wherever Edwards ends up, Liverpool will evolve without him with the sporting director leaving in place a set-up that is capable of continuing to thrive.
“I had always planned to cap my time at the club to a maximum of 10 years. I’ve loved working here, but I am a big believer in change,” Edwards wrote in an open letter to Liverpool supporters back in November. “I think it’s good for the individual and, in a work setting, good for the employer, too.
“Over my time here we have changed so many things (hopefully for the better) but someone new brings a different perspective, new ideas and can hopefully build on (or change) the things that have been put in place beforehand.
“That’s how I believe businesses/football clubs stay ahead; you need to evolve and at the heart of this kind of process is always people. That evolution has always been central to Liverpool’s history and I hope that this is one thing that doesn’t change.”
Should he end up at a bitter rival, such evolution will be more crucial than ever. Like Mane’s exit, Edwards isn’t the end for Liverpool but rather a new beginning. The only problem is his next move could have a similar impact elsewhere, with the success of his Reds stewardship ultimately determining whether they are now susceptible to falling away or not.
In normal summers, Mane’s exit would be the main talking point and cause of potential worry at Anfield. The fact that there is such discussion about Edwards’ exit instead demonstrates the job he did helping build Klopp’s side in the first place.
Yet despite whatever threat he would pose if he joined one of the Reds’ rivals, Liverpool can only focus on themselves as they enter this post-Edwards era, confident they are positioned well enough, thanks to their former sporting director, to remain successful and stay a step ahead.
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