Former Liverpool manager Damien Comolli says talks with owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) are “pointless”.
Camolli served as director of football strategy at Anfield for 14 months between November 2010 and April 2012. He was appointed a month after FSG (then New England Sports Ventures) bought the club from Tom Hicks and George Gillett.
During his time at the Reds, Liverpool made a number of signings to return to Europe’s elite after being knocked out of the Champions League.
Andy Carroll was signed for a record £35m during Comolli’s tenure. However, Luis Suarez joined the club in January 2011 and Jordan Henderson the following summer. In the 2011/2012 season, Liverpool won both the League Cup and FA Cup finals.
Comolli, who is currently chairman of Toulouse, is set to return to Anfield on Thursday night (8pm) when the French side take on the Reds in the Europa League. In an interview with The Telegraph, the former Tottenham manager reflected on his time at Liverpool.
He said that given Hicks and Gillett’s dire financial circumstances, they would have to “convince” owner John Henry to give the club a £22.8m loan to sign Suarez, who scored 82 goals in 133 games for the Reds.
Comolli regrets not speaking to the Boston crowd more often, as it would have allowed him to stay there longer. He said: “You have to remind people that you are doing a good job and that you should be doing it. You must continuously promote your project and maintain your ownership.
I was no use to him. “What sporting director would win the [League] Cup and be sacked penniless in the FA Cup final? I had to convince John Henry (main owner of FSG) to take out a loan to buy Luis Suárez. I was skin. I won first place in 2006 and got fired.
I don’t know if I would still have a job if I could speak, but things would be different.
