Fenway Sports Group are close to securing Michael Edwards’ return to Liverpool after holding encouraging negotiations with the 44-year-old in the United States last weekend.
Even if the last chapters of Jurgen Klopp’s storied nine-year stint as Liverpool manager are still being written, owners Fenway Sports Group have laid the groundwork for what they believe will be an equally compelling new era at Anfield.
In January, the 56-year-old German made the shocking announcement that he would be stepping down from his position at the end of the current campaign, despite Liverpool sitting in rude health at the top of the Premier League ahead of both Manchester City and Arsenal, and eyeing a clean sweep of trophies with League Cup, Europa League, and FA Cup victories.
For owners FSG, who were informed of Klopp’s desire to leave in November, the early months of 2024 promise to be arguably the most difficult of their 14-year reign on Merseyside, as they are tasked with identifying an individual who can fill the shoes of the omnipotent Klopp, who has delivered extraordinary levels of success and won both the Premier League and the Champions League since succeeding Brendan Rodgers in late 2015.
It’s a chore that FSG chiefs John Henry and Tom Werner would undoubtedly have hated the prospect of since the moment Klopp‘s charismatic personality was first displayed in the Anfield press room in October 2015, as he addressed the world’s media.
on his first day of work, he later identified himself as the “normal one”.
Klopp‘s achievements over the last nine years have been anything but typical, with three Premier League campaigns ending with more than 90 points, three Champions League finals, and eight trophies added to Liverpool‘s iconic Champions’ Wall.
Without the riches of Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United, and on the European stage, Real Madrid and Paris Saint–Germain, such staggering levels of success would not have been possible without Liverpool‘s scouting department and their ability to identify a diamond in the rough and excel at player trading
.That is why Liverpool‘s confidence in attracting transfer guru Michael Edwards back to Anfield, following good face-to-face conversations in the United States last weekend, can only be characterized as a game changer.
Edwards, who joined the club in 2011 from Tottenham Hotspur, was named the Reds’ first sports director in 2016 and rapidly established himself as one of the best operators in European football. His notable success stories included deals to sign Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, and Alisson Becker, while his mastery to substantially raise the Anfield transfer kitty was equally as impressive, with perhaps no better example than when he pocketed a club-record £142 million for the wantaway Philippe Coutinho at the end of a long-standing saga that saw him join for Barcelona in January 2018.
Indeed, Edwards‘ probable return might be shortly followed by the appointment of Richard Hughes as sporting director, who stated earlier this week that he would leave his role as Bournemouth‘s technical director at the end of the season.
And if Liverpool completes a remarkable double swoop for both Edwards and Hughes, with the former reportedly rejecting approaches from Manchester United and Chelsea since leaving Anfield nearly two years ago, it would perfectly complement Klopp‘s comments that Liverpool is well-positioned to build on the foundations he has laid.
And for FSG, who are on the verge of landing two primary targets for significant senior roles at Anfield, it should give them great hope for what they can pitch to Xabi Alonso in the coming weeks and months as they try to fend off interest from Bayern Munich and Real Madrid and land the most revered young coach in European football.
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