If there was ever any doubt that the margins in top football are thinner than ever, the reaction to Michael Edwards’ return to Liverpool proved it.
Typically, someone in the role of the interview-avoiding, low-key-keeping Edwards – who this week sealed a return to Anfield as part of a new-look role with the club’s owners, Fenway Sports Group – would be unrecognizable to Liverpool supporters given the star-studded list of names that have helped deliver the dreams of a generation by achieving impressive Premier League and Champions League victories in recent times.
In reality, and make no mistake about it, Edwards’ decade-long tenure at the club has seen him become an esteemed name, comparable to modern-day greats Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, due to the influential role he played in dethroning Manchester City and ending Liverpool’s 30-year wait for a Premier League title through unprecedented, data-driven transfer market success.
Edwards, who had held a variety of roles at Anfield since joining in 2011, was initially appointed as Liverpool’s inaugural sporting director in November 2016 as part of a restructuring of football operations. He was assisted by the distinctive eye for detail of scouts Dave Fallows and Barry Hunter, as well as Director of Research Ian Graham and his team.
It was an era in which Liverpool transformed their transfer market reputation from the Merseyside Maniacs – following the disappointing signings of Lazar Markovic, Mario Balotelli, and Christian Benteke – to the envy of European football as they funded deals for Van Dijk, Alisson Becker, and Fabinho by negotiating the astute sales of Philippe Coutinho, Jordon Ibe, Brad Smith, Kevin Stewart, and others.
He, too, was primarily responsible for Mohamed Salah’s entrance from AS Roma in 2017, when Jurgen Klopp preferred to sign Bayer Leverkusen striker Julian Brandt. Indeed, in the six-and-a-half years after Edwards persuaded the Reds manager to think otherwise, Salah has won everything there is to win with the club and is fifth in the all-time scoring rankings at Anfield, ahead of Steven Gerrard, Robbie Fowler, Sir Kenny Dalglish, and Michael Owen. You may argue that thirty-seven million dollars were properly spent.
On Tuesday, it was revealed that the University of Sheffield graduate has accepted the ‘CEO of Football’ position within FSG’s empire, just days after fruitful negotiations with American executives in the United States.
There is no denying that Edwards faces arguably the most difficult task in Liverpool’s illustrious history: finding a successor to the larger-than-life Klopp, who has championed both Liverpool and the city in ways not seen at Anfield since the days of Bill Shankly and later Dalglish.
However, unlike Shankly’s surprise resignation in the summer of 1974, there is no natural ‘Boot Room’ successor, equal to Bob Paisley, for the Reds to turn to after assistant manager Pep Lijnders announced his intention to resume his managerial career away from the glaring spotlight of Anfield.
However, securing the services of data supremo Edwards, who was a target for Manchester United and Chelsea during his two years away from Anfield, is a significant coup for owners FSG after several key figures across various departments – Julian Ward, Graham, and Klopp – ended their outstanding Anfield careers in the last 18 months.
Chiefs John Henry, Tom Werner, and Mike Gordon, on the other hand, can be extremely confident in the pitch they are making in a post-Klopp world, which is clearly more compelling than those made by their counterparts at Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford after Edwards accepted a senior role with FSG after initially rejecting talk of a return.
“I am very grateful to Mike, John, Tom and the ownership group for offering me the opportunity to take on this new leadership role within FSG,” Edwards said in a statement on Tuesday. “I was humbled by their willingness and tenacity in wanting to work with me again. This is not something I take for granted, considering their track record in both sports and business.
“It was critical for me that if I returned, it would be with newfound verve and vitality. In practice, this means facing new difficulties and possibilities. As a result, one of the most important elements in my selection was their pledge to acquire and manage an additional club, thereby expanding this part of their organization.”
After being lured back to Anfield in a new capacity by FSG, it will be Edwards’ responsibility to relay that same captivating vision to Bournemouth’s technical director Richard Hughes – who will leave the Cherries at the end of the season and continues to be linked with the vacant sporting director role at Anfield – and perhaps Xabi Alonso, Rubin Amorim, or Roberto De Zerbi in the coming weeks and months as the Reds prepare themselves for life without Klopp for the first time.
Meanwhile, Edwards may have to keep a quiet profile on his next visit to Anfield, as he is now widely considered as FSG’s first big acquisition of the post-Klopp era. Do not underestimate the scope of this coup.
