Journalist David Ornstein has given an update on Liverpool’s search for a new sporting director, with the team’s poor form on the pitch reflecting chaos behind the scenes.
What’s going on at Liverpool?
Liverpool found great success through smart signings targeted when Michael Edwards was sporting director, but he stepped down at the end of last season, with Julian Ward replacing him as an internal appointment.
However, Ward has confirmed his intention to leave the club at the end of the season, after less than a year in the role, and Liverpool have had a nightmare season after competing for the quadruple in the previous campaign.
Speaking on NBC Sports, Ornstein confirmed that the process to replace Ward has begun, with a number of names already targeted.
“The process to replace Ward as sporting director is now underway. It’s in its early stages. They did strongly consider Paul Mitchell of AS Monaco but that won’t be happening, he’s going to be staying there,” he stated.
“Among the other candidates or names they admire is Marcus Krosche from Eintracht Frankfurt, but there are going to be a number of options, and let’s see how that develops because this is a critical time for Liverpool and FSG.”
How has Liverpool’s transfer strategy changed?
Liverpool won every trophy on offer as a result of the scouting and transfer strategy under Edwards, with the likes of Andy Robertson, Joel Matip and Georginio Wijnaldum arriving as bargain buys and becoming crucial players.
However, in their first windows without Edwards at the helm, they spent fairly large fees on Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo, who have had mixed reviews so far, and failed to successfully strengthen the midfield, which has been a problem area this season.
Liverpool’s reported top target for the summer is Jude Bellingham, who would cost over £100m, and whilst he could be a terrific addition to the midfield, this deal is a far cry from the kind of transfer that worked so well for them before.
It is unclear whether such a difficult and expensive deal on a highly-coveted player like Bellingham would have been pursued by Edwards, rather than investing in multiple under-the-radar talents to help rebuild the squad, and the club will consider what kind of approach each candidate will employ as sporting director before making an appointment.
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