FSG gets their man as Michael Edwards returns to Liverpool

After weeks of negotiations, FSG have finally persuaded Michael Edwards to return to the club, in a new, very powerful position, where he will get to shape the future of Anfield in the post-Klopp era.

John Henry will be a very happy man this evening.

After the recent turmoil caused by Jurgen Klopp's decision to retire at the end of the season, FSG has today begun to lay the foundations for the future of Liverpool Football Club in the post-Klopp era, with the re-appointment of Michael Edwards, as the group's new Chief Executive of Football.

Edwards spent a hugely successful eleven years at the club between 2011 and 2022, becoming Sporting Director in 2016.  During that time he helped turn Liverpool from underachievers to English, European, and World Champions.

It was Edwards and his team that identified and secured the signing of Jurgen Klopp as Manager, and Edwards was directly involved in the transfers of Mo Salah, Virgil Van Dijk, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, and Alisson Becker.  It's easy to see then, why FSG were so desperate to bring Edwards back to the club, and why, not long after the news broke of Klopp's decision to leave, stories started circulating that FSG were talking to Edwards, with a view to him returning, to help find Klopp's successor.

Those initial talks failed to secure a deal, with Edwards looking for a greater challenge than just being Sporting Director.  Despite this, FSG were un-deterred, and after further negotiations, it became apparent that Edwards would happily return to Liverpool if the role on offer was suitably challenging.

Which brings us to today's announcement - and Edwards's new role - as Chief Executive of Football for FSG.  Not just Liverpool, but for the FSG group.  The implications of this are huge and will be discussed in later articles, but simply put, FSG wants to own more football clubs.  In a move that echos what Manchester City's owners have done, John Henry and FSG want to create a global football group, with Liverpool at its head, and smaller, 'feeder' clubs located around the world to help improve player recruitment, brand awareness, and media exposure.  This is the challenge that Michael Edwards was looking for and one which he was only too happy to sign up for.

Plenty of work to be done

Before Edwards and FSG can begin to think about acquiring more football clubs, however, there is the small matter of replacing Jurgen Klopp at Anfield.

As a manager (and a person), Klopp is irreplaceable, so Edwards and his team will need to create a new vision for the club, that builds on the work already done by Klopp, but that embraces a new direction.  Klopp has successfully created Liverpool 2.0 this season, with new players and improved tactics, but rather than look for Klopp 2.0, the club needs to find a new manager who will bring their own style and passion to the role.

As well as finding a new manager, Edwards must also oversee the appointment of a new Sporting Director.  Various names are under consideration, but Richard Hughes is the favourite.  Hughes has been working at Bournemouth for more than a decade and has created a reputation as an intelligent, progressive Director, who, like Edwards at Liverpool, has overseen the development of Bournemouth into a strong Premier League side, and who is responsible for many of Bournemouth's most successful recent transfers.

Ever since Klopp's surprise announcement, FSG has maintained their no.1 priority was to recruit a new Sporting Director, to help lay the foundations for further success on and off the pitch.  In Michael Edwards, they have secured the first piece of the puzzle, that will hopefully lead Liverpool to even greater heights than those already achieved.

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