Liverpool’s new powerhouse is tipped to thrive after major transfer success

At the top of the Premier League, the sporting director model is still in its relative phase.

While the use of a sporting or technical director alongside a manager or head coach has been common practice in European football for some time, England have only really started to embrace such a model more generally in the last 5-10 years.

This is why Michael Edwards, having risen through the ranks at Anfield, only became Liverpool’s first official sporting director in November 2016, and why Richard Hughes is the first to be appointed externally to the role on a permanent basis in June 2024.

Intriguingly, Arne Slot’s succession to Jurgen Klopp has come with a slight change in the job title as well. When the Dutchman was officially confirmed on May 20, barely 24 hours after the departed Klopp led the chorus for his future replacement in his final appearance at Anfield, Slot was named, clarifying himself as the new “head coach” to opposite of “manager”.

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The change was due to the workload Klopp has had to juggle on a day-to-day basis at the club in recent years. The German cited a lack of energy as the reason he felt the need to quit, with Liverpool wary of a similar fate eventually befalling Slott.

In theory, the fewer tasks that land on the new man’s doorstep, the more time he will have to devote to coaching, training and generally getting the best out of the sizable squad at his disposal.

The title also means a more collaborative approach across the board. As Klopp’s power grew organically, as his status rose in the eyes of the fans due to an inflated trophy between 2019 and 2022, his claim was finally final.

With Hughes now on board, with Slott and Edwards back in the saddle, as Fenway Sports Group’s “CEO of Soccer” – a position that effectively places him as the club’s day-to-day boss – the decision-making process has been broadened. Slot’s contribution will be considerable, but he will not have the power that Klopp enjoyed or endured. Not quite yet, at least.

“Playing for Liverpool is bigger than playing for most teams,” says Robbie Fowler, whose managerial experience in Thailand, Australia, India and most recently Saudi Arabia has seen him work with a range of sporting directors and techniques.

“If you look at the history, the culture, the tradition, the shirt can weigh heavier. So it takes a certain type of player to sign and I think that’s what I liked about Liverpool bringing Michael Edwards back because he seen and done in the past and I know there’s a big team around him now in terms of assistants, and Julian Ward is back now, so I think Liverpool are going with the tried and true method that’s been tried and it’s worked, also.”

Slot is no stranger to working with a sporting director having fostered a positive relationship with Dennis te Kloese during their time together at Feyenoord and Max Huiberts at AZ Alkmaar previously. And it was telling that Slot made a number of references to Hughes in his primary chat with LFCTV earlier this month.

The pair have been in regular dialogue since June 1. Slot spent two weeks in Ibiza with his family after officially taking up the role, but has spoken extensively with his sporting director as they look to start the new era on the right foot.

It’s a model that has served Liverpool well in the past, given the success they’ve enjoyed under Klopp and Edwards, but Fowler believes the manager – or head coach in this particular case – should always have the final say when it comes to recruitment.

Speaking to the ECHO, Fowler added: “Look, I think what I had was an experience of working with a sporting director in Saudi Arabia and sometimes you know you’re doing your job but it’s up to someone else to do it his and I think now athletic directors, they’re needed in the game because there’s so much to sort through,

“But I also think managers have to get what they want because they are the ones on the pitch all the time with the players and they know what they can and can’t do.

“They know what the sporting director can do and they can bring in players who could be great players but there has to be some kind of correlation and if something doesn’t happen then it’s not always the manager’s fault. The sporting director could be to blame and that and that is not always mentioned in the world of football.

“When the sporting director brings in a player then it’s always the manager’s fault when it doesn’t work and that shouldn’t always be the case. The manager is the first to be sacked and feels the heat, but sometimes they are even under pressure because that is what is required in the modern game.

“But I think there will be a call for that in the future where sporting directors will be called upon more. Michael Edwards’ role at Liverpool over the last few years has been phenomenal. We’ve seen players come and players go for loads and loads of money It was a process that worked, but I still think you have to give the manager to work with.

“Ok, statistics and data-driven insights are all well and good, but if you’re a manager, statistics and data can be somewhat altered by looking at them every day. Just because they worked in the past doesn’t mean it will. again and that is why the manager is so important in how he trains and manages the team. It’s because they work day in and day out and know what’s going on where maybe the sporting director isn’t there and they go. the data or what is seen only sometimes.

“So it doesn’t become an issue because that’s the wrong word, but the time comes for a conversation because we know what certain players have done in the past, but under a new umbrella or a new manager or system, things could change. That said the player may not be exactly the same guy he was when he came to the club.”

As much as supporters might be excited about the new axis of power, it’s also fair to point out that it’s an entirely new structure at Liverpool when it comes to the men in the key positions of sporting director and head coach. Edwards’ return and his record, however, comforts those who may not be as optimistic as others.

Edwards has traded for some of the best players in modern memory at Anfield in recent times and Fowler sees no reason why Liverpool can’t return to the heights they enjoyed in Klopp’s heyday using such experience again .

“Are we competing with the richest clubs in the world in terms of what we can spend? Probably not and I’m half glad because if you’re the richest club in the world, the process isn’t what people think it is,” he says. “People say you have the best players because you have the most money and the process of finding the best players is no longer a process, if you know what I mean?

“It’s a case of taking who you want because you’ve got more money than anyone else. Liverpool can’t do that so our process has to be a bit different. What we’ve seen Michael do in the past has been great , so I have no qualms and I don’t see any reason why we can’t get back to that level.”