If ever any proof was needed that the margins in elite-level football are finer than ever, then the reaction to Michael Edwards’ return to Liverpool confirmed just that.
Typically, it would be expected that someone in the role of the interview-shunning, 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 unrecognisable 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 triumphs in recent times.
In reality, and make no mistake about it, Edwards’ decade-long service at the club has seen him become an esteemed name that is held in similar regard 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 by virtue of unprecedented, data-led success in the transfer market.
Initially appointed as Liverpool’s inaugural sporting director in November 2016 as part of a restructuring of football operations, Edwards, who held a range of roles at Anfield after first joining in 2011, was supported 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 that saw Liverpool transform from their reputation in the transfer market from the Merseyside Maniacs – after the bleak 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 also largely responsible for the arrival of Mohamed Salah from AS Roma in 2017, with Jurgen Klopp at the time preferring a move for Bayer Leverkusen forward Julian Brandt. Indeed, in the six-and-a-half years since Edwards convinced the Reds boss to think otherwise, Salah has won all there is to win with the club and is fifth in the all-time scoring charts at Anfield – ahead of Steven Gerrard, Robbie Fowler, Sir Kenny Dalglish and Michael Owen. Thirty-seven million well spent, you could say.
On Tuesday, it was announced that the University of Sheffield graduate had accepted the ‘CEO of Football’ role within FSG’s empire, just days after positive talks were held with the American chiefs in the United States.
Certainly, there is no hiding from the fact that Edwards faces arguably the most daunting task in Liverpool’s illustrious history as he is entrusted with identifying a successor for the larger-than-life Klopp, who has championed both Liverpool and the city in a way that has not been seen at Anfield since the days of Bill Shankly and later Dalglish.
But unlike Shankly’s shock resignation in the summer of 1974, this time around there is no natural ‘Boot Room’ successor, equal to Bob Paisley, for the Reds to turn to after assistant manager Pep Lijnders made clear of his plans to resume his managerial career away from the glaring spotlight of Anfield.
However, securing the services of data supremo Edwards, a target for Manchester United and Chelsea during his two years away from Anfield, is a significant coup for owners FSG after several leading figures across various departments – Julian Ward, Graham and Klopp – called time on their outstanding Anfield careers in the last 18 months.
Chiefs John Henry, Tom Werner and Mike Gordon, though, can take enormous confidence in the pitch they are selling in a post-Klopp world, evidently more compelling than those made by their counterparts at Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford after Edwards accepted a senior role with FSG after initial rebuffing talk of a return.
“It was vital for me that, if I did return, it had to be with renewed vigour and energy,” said Edwards after his appointment was made official on Tuesday. “In practice, this means having fresh challenges and opportunities.
“As such, one of the biggest factors in my decision is the commitment to acquire and oversee an additional club, growing this area of their organization. I believe that to remain competitive, investment and expansion of the current football portfolio is necessary.”
