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Liverpool Echo

Sport

Paul Gorst

Inside Liverpool search for new sporting director and what club are really looking for

Liverpool Julian Ward Michael Edwards Jurgen Klopp Anfield (Organization) Billy Hogan Michael Zorc

As a club with a history of appointing from within, it was no surprise to see Julian Ward succeed Michael Edwards to become just Liverpool's second sporting director last summer.

Having risen through the ranks at Anfield to the position of loan and pathways manager, Ward saw a job created for him in late December 2020 as he became Edwards's official 'assistant'.

It was the beginning of a soft launch towards the eventual role of sporting director itself and one that was officially handed to him at the end of last season after he had essentially been studying for it across the previous 18 months under the tutelage of Edwards, who himself had developed a mythical reputation both among fans and those within the game for how he conducted business during 2016-2022.

For a club with a renowned ethos of recruiting from further down the ranks - as epitomised by the legendary Boot Room culture that existed - that Ward succeeded Edwards was not a major surprise, even if there were plenty of Liverpool supporters who were perhaps unaware of just how highly-regarded the Aintree-born analyst was at the time.

Just a few months into the role, however, it was confirmed that Ward would be leaving Liverpool after over a decade this summer. The decision to give his notice in November was one that caught many both inside the club and within Ward's department itself off-guard and it was met with both shock and disappointment.

As a result, the search for Liverpool's third sporting director in less than 18 months is now underway, with the process being overseen by both manager Jurgen Klopp and CEO Billy Hogan. But just what is it that the newcomer will be expected to oversee at Liverpool? And how daunting is the task of delivering instant returns at a self-sustainable club with such lofty ambitions at a time when they are undoubtedly in transition on and off the pitch?

Recruitment, undoubtedly, is how a sporting director will develop their reputation but any incoming appointment at Liverpool won't be responsible for overseeing this summer's anticipated rebuild, it is understood.

Anyone signed in the summer will still be credited as being a 'Ward signing' to simplify things and extensive work is currently ongoing at present behind the scenes at the AXA Centre as the Reds continue to be linked to a host of midfielders.

"I think it's a really important role and the rest of Europe have embraced [the sporting director role]," Dan Ashworth, who now holds the position at Newcastle United, said in 2018 while at Brighton. "We set up a course at the FA to try and help develop the next generation of technical directors.

"The pressures on managers are growing so much that I really think there's a role for someone who understands what's going on on the football pitch and the boardroom. The technical director's role is about winning over three, four, five years and the manager's role is about winning on a Saturday. They do work closely together but just on slightly different timelines."

The dovetailing between manager and sporting director was something that worked seamlessly between Edwards and Klopp. On their watch, Liverpool built a squad that was aiming to finish in the top four in 2016 to one that has since won every top-level trophy available to them between 2019-2022, while Ward's increased responsibilities in recent times has also helped in that regard.

Such was Edwards's reputation during his time at Liverpool that even his counterparts at other clubs would often communicate their admiration for the ex-Reds chief during the small talk before negotiations.

Success for any one particular signing should not be levelled at the feet of one particular staff member at Liverpool, though, regardless of how important that person is. It's why Klopp has never been overly keen with the plaudits laid at his door.

In an open letter on the club's official website following the announcement of his departure, Edwards wrote: "If I ever meet anyone, they inevitably ask me about signings or players we have sold and I know transfers are one of the exciting parts of the role that I have performed.

"It can be a lot of fun buying and selling and it’s something I have enjoyed, particularly when players we have brought in have made a positive difference. Like everything, though, there is a team of people that have worked alongside me whose hard work and combined expertise should never be overlooked or understated.

"(Head of recruitment) Dave Fallows and (chief scout) Barry Hunter joined Liverpool the year after me and they have been integral in building a world-class scouting department. For those who don’t know Barry – and there can’t be many – he was a hard-hitting Northern Irish centre-back who has a contacts book that reads like a who’s who of football. He is always on the go and could put away more food than the average male elephant. Dave is simply Google, I’ve never known anyone with a memory like his or an ability to think outside of the box when innovative solutions are required."

Given the increased scrutiny from the wider football world on what the sporting director does at the elite level, Liverpool fans are understandably desperate to find out who will be replacing Ward when he calls time on 11 years at the club in June.

What perhaps works in the favour of those looking to make the grade at a top European club is that polished CVs are not always as obvious to the footballing layman as those who have played or managed, where the perception of success is easier defined.

"You do have that imposter syndrome," says Norwich City's sporting director Stuart Webber. "I was doing my Pro Licence with Rob Page, Marcel Desailly, Jens Lehmann, Didi Hamann. When they say, 'What have you won?' It’s difficult to say: ‘The mid-Wales Under-12s league and I scored in the final.’"

The rise of both the relatively unknown pair of Edwards and Ward during their time at Liverpool should at least allay some supporter fears over what might be a lesser-known profile of whoever takes charge later this year. Even if a club's transfer activity during their previous tenure will be dissected to the nth degree.

The achievements of both Ward and Edwards is proof that the CV of an international-class ex-player is not needed to thrive in the role, but one aspect that is particularly important at a club like Liverpool is the ability to extract maximum value from those moving out of the club.

While at other top-six clubs, most notably Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City, fetching sizable sums for outgoing players is desirable, it is a necessity at Liverpool. Rightly or wrongly, the way the club is forced to operate demands it.

Selling players like Dominic Solanke (£25m), Rhian Brewster (£23m) and Jordon Ibe (£15m) is part of what has made Edwards so esteemed throughout football, while his £142m sale of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona looks like the work of footballing alchemy over five years on.

The same goes for Ward, who was roundly commended inside the club itself for receiving an £11m sum for Xherdan Shaqiri when he moved to Lyon. The £17m deal that took Neco Williams to Nottingham Forest also impressed.

It's possible such a skill is something Klopp and Hogan will look at closely when they come to survey the runners and riders for the soon-to-be-vacant role. Monaco's Paul Mitchell is one who has been linked in recent months alongside former Arsenal chief Sven Mislintat and more recently Tim Steidten of Bayer Leverkusen. Anfield sources have distanced themselves from all three in recent weeks as the external search goes on.

“I discuss the style of play with the coach, and the youth teams will follow that," Michael Zorc, the man who employed Jurgen Klopp as Borussia Dortmund manager, told the Bundesliga's official website five years ago. "But for our fans it has to be daring and attacking.

"The CEO handles the budget you have, but as well as buying, selling and extending players’ contracts, I'm also someone they can talk to besides the coach.

"I’m always with the team during matches. I attend all training sessions and will often even eat with the players so they know someone from the club is looking out for them. I’m also responsible for the philosophy at the club from the youth to the first team."

Such a remit was a wide-reaching one for Zorc and remains so for his European counterparts generally, but for Liverpool, the profile of Klopp and the autonomy which his success has afforded him means there will surely be a certain level of acceptance that the next sporting director won't necessarily be afforded that same power inside Anfield itself.

But with this summer's transfer work already being attributed to the current regime, Liverpool's third sporting director will at least have ample time to get adjusted to the rigours of day to day life at the AXA Centre before the January transfer window of 2024 offers the first real clues to supporters.

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