Liverpool’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, are aiming to sign Benfica technical director Pedro Marques as part of the club’s new structure under head of football operations Michael Edwards.
Steps are being taken to safeguard the Reds’ long-term future following Jurgen Klopp’s departure at the end of the current season. In a total overhaul, former Liverpool sporting director Michael Edwards was confirmed to return to a new job reporting directly to FSG rather than the club.
His first step would be to recruit a sporting director at Anfield, which is expected to be AFC Bournemouth’s Richard Hughes after his departure was announced last week, and the two could then look for the club’s next manager.
Following that, it is understood that initial plans for a’multi-club’ ownership arrangement piqued Edwards’ interest and played a significant role in changing his mind about rejoining his previous team.
In addition to Liverpool, the 44-year-old would be responsible for finding another team in which FSG may invest. This was a frightening prospect with little information just hours ago, but Marques’ prospective involvement in such a project paints a promising picture of how events might unfold given his previous work and reputation in the sport.
So, who is Marques, and what can he offer Liverpool and FSG? We took a peek.
Who is Pedro Marques?
Marques started his career as a youth coach for Sporting CP in 2004. Moving up the industry ladder, six years later he became a first-team performance analyst with Manchester City, at the same time as former Reds sports director Julian Ward was a scout for the club.
In 2014, he took on the role of coaching and analysis lead for the City Football Group (CFG), his first foray into working in a multi-club environment. Instead of simply City, he was involved in the management of three more teams that the group purchased or acquired in 2014: New York City, Melbourne City, and Yokohama F. Marinos. By the time he left in 2018, CFG owned holdings in six clubs throughout the world.
Since then, he has worked as Benfica’s young technical director. In 2022, he was part in the conversations that resulted in Darwin Nunez’s £64 million – potentially £85 million – transfer, with then-Reds sporting director Ward on the other end of the telephone.
Building Benfica
Marques’ character is best understood by his interactions with his present employers. “We can win the under-15s league, which is a significant accomplishment, but the true trophy is when those youngsters realize their dreams: when they play for Benfica in the stadium and see the eagle. “There’s no better feeling,” he told The Athletic 13 months ago.
Benfica’s youth system has been one of the most fruitful in Europe, if not the entire continent, generating local talent such as Joao Felix, Ruben Dias, and Goncalo Ramos, with many more on the way. Identifying worldwide prospects like Nunez and Enzo Fernandez has also contributed to the team’s success.
Their production line has enabled the Portuguese giants earn £275 million in net profit from the transfer market over the last six years, which has been spent in the squad and club infrastructure.
Marques elaborated on the club’s attitude, saying, “I believe Benfica is pretty unique or distinct from a lot of other teams since this is truly a long-term initiative for us in terms of the academy. We do not buy the best under-16s or under-17s in Europe or the world and then leave them for two or three years before promoting them to the main team.
“Other clubs use this method. Our approach is to engage players at a young age, introduce them to Benfica, and connect them with the club; this begins with the five talent centers, plus Lisbon, that we have throughout the country.”
