Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp revealed that their search for a new sporting director is moving in the right direction. After more than ten years at Anfield, the current sporting director Julian Ward, 41, steps down at the end of the current campaign. He informed the club of his intention to do so in November, just months after formally succeeding the wildly successful Michael Edwards in the position. Although Edwards was still in his position, Ward, a Liverpool native, managed Liverpool’s signings of Darwin Nunez in the summer of 2017 and Luis Diaz in January 2022. Recently, there have been rumors that Liverpool is close to finding a replacement for Ward, but when asked about it in his pre-game news conference before the team’s Wednesday night Premier League trip to West Ham, Klopp remained mum.
“I don’t take part in the discussions. Perhaps there have been discussions, but I am not the member of the club who can accurately assess the situation,” Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said. “Although that is in their hands, from what I have heard, everything is moving in the right path. Yes, the sporting director will stay. How many clubs now lack one? Almost everyone employs a sporting director, and this is understandable.”
“The method, rather than the manager’s involvement in decision-making, is what matters,” he added. “I have no idea how the boys managed to talk around all the agents and achieve all of these things while continuously mentioning pounds here and pounds there in the past. No chance; you need personnel for that. And for that reason, I am content with the structure. However, whatever we end up with will be exactly appropriate; at the time, I can’t comment.”
With the support of long-standing senior staff members like Dave Fallows [head of recruiting] and Barry Hunter [chief scout], who still play key roles, Liverpool is convinced that the continuity that allowed Ward to succeed Edwards will again give them some security. After a challenging season that appears to be coming to an end without Champions League football, the Reds are apparently planning to be busy in the transfer market this summer.
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