It was an appointment that seemed almost impossible a few short months ago, but Michael Edwards has his hands on the wheel behind the scenes at Liverpool once again.
Statements from Fenway Sports Group are pretty rare, and when they do arrive they are usually something of a big deal related to pretty seismic changes.
The decision of Jurgen Klopp to step away from the Reds’ managerial post at the end of the season led to plenty of understandable concern from fans about the direction of the club in the era after the legendary boss.
The attempts to bring back former sporting director Edwards, a man who had a key role in the Reds’ on-pitch revival that culminated in Premier League and Champions League successes, were mocked somewhat after they came to light.
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Edwards didn’t want to step straight back into the sporting director fold at Liverpool two years after he vacated it. There was nothing that compelled him about that, and he also had leverage.
Real Madrid, Manchester United, and Chelsea all had him on their radar, with Chelsea’s interest reported to be more compelling given the willingness of them to let him front the whole football operation, not just Chelsea.
With that in his back pocket, and FSG always open to thought leaders joining the ranks, Edwards headed to Boston for meetings where a newly-created CEO of Football role would be on the table, one where Edwards would take over the oversight from FSG president Mike Gordon, a man who had been Klopp’s closest FSG ally.
Core to the plan is the acquisition of another club. Whether it goes beyond
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