Report: Liverpool make second approach to bring back Michael Edwards

Only a few days after Jurgen Klopp sealed a record 10th League Cup for the Reds, the club are planning for life without the charismatic German. 

Edwards made a name for himself at Anfield, sealing the signings of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Virgil Van Dijk and Alisson most notably during his tenure. 

He left Anfield in June 2022 after 11 years at the club and was appointed as the club’s sporting director in 2016. 

His departure was followed by reports that he had become frustrated at Anfield due to Klopp’s growing influence and the approval of contract extensions for some of the club’s older players. 

Fenway Sports Group are believed to have failed in an attempt to persuade Edwards to rejoin the club last month. According to reports, FSG president Mike Gordon reached out to the former sporting director but his enquiry was rejected. 

However, reports have emerged that Edwards may be open to return on the condition he is given full control of the club’s football operations - and FSG are willing to meet his demands. 

Liverpool are believed to be open to relinquishing the sporting director title to appoint a football chief executive officer with the idea of handing Edwards the keys to Anfield. 

It remains unclear whether this will be the strategy or if they plan to offer Edwards a more senior role at Anfield and task him with finding the club’s third sporting director in two years. 

Julian Ward succeeded Edwards and lasted 364 days in the role, with the release clause signing of Alexis Mac Allister his parting gift to the club. 

Jorg Schmadtke left his role at Vfl Wolfsburg to become interim sporting director at Anfield in June 2023. The German used his Bundesliga knowledge to secure the signings of Dominic Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch. 

Schmadtke left the club after a quiet winter transfer window for the Reds in February. 

Negotiations could prove difficult as Edwards now runs his own consultant company, Ludonautics, alongside Liverpool’s former director of research, Ian Graham. 

FSG are eager to imminently appoint a new figurehead at Anfield with the contract situations of Salah, Van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold creating uncertainty at the club. 

They all have 18 months left on their current deals. 

Edwards reportedly has until early March to give his answer to the club before they move on to alternative targets. 

The club plan for the new structure to be in place before embarking on the task of identifying the next manager. 

Xabi Alonso is the clear frontrunner to succeed Klopp. His Bayer Leverkusen side sit eight points clear of Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga and are currently unbeaten in the league. 

Former Bayern manager Julian Nagelsmann, Sporting Club de Portugal’s Ruben Amorim and Brighton & Hove Albion’s Roberto De Zerbi are also on the list of candidates having scored high in FSG’s data-driven approach to identifying the man to replace Klopp at the helm.

By Connor Burgess

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