by Liverpool have undoubtedly continued to thrive without Michael Edwards in the sporting director role since 2022.
That’s not to suggest, of course, that the Reds would be better off without the former Portsmouth employee than with!
Certainly, his prior acquisitions of world-class players like Mo Salah, now worth an astonishing £150m, speaks for itself.
“You can be sure that there is nothing sentimental about Edwards’ return,” Chris Bascombe wrote for The Telegraph. “It is his ability to cast aside emotion and actually mean it when discussing ‘the long-term bigger picture’ that is at the core of how Liverpool rose to and intend to stay at the top, manifesting itself most spectacularly when signing players like Philippe Coutinho and Mohamed Salah for £8.5 million and £35 million with the utmost faith they will one day be valued at £142 million and £150 million, respectively.
The 44-year-old will be taking up an expanded role within the FSG framework. This will, Empire of the Kop understands, involve the Englishman potentially looking after a second club in addition to Liverpool.
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What is Michael Edwards’ role at Liverpool?
With Richard Hughes potentially set to fill the gap vacated by Jorg Schmadtke, Edwards will be free to take on broader responsibilities as FSG’s CEO of Football.
According to The Times’ Paul Joyce, this will look like the following; “It is an appointment by FSG, rather than Liverpool, and one of Edwards’s tasks will be to identify and subsequently manage a second club to attract global talent.
“This is more likely to resemble Brighton & Hove Albion, whose owner Tony Bloom has a stake in Union Saint-Gilloise, than the City Football Club, which has numerous clubs around the globe under its umbrella, including La Liga side Girona.”
It’s hardly a secret that FSG is keen to broaden its portfolio in football. Indeed, they’re on the record as having expressed an interest in investing in Brazilian football.
Whether this is a direction Fenway will look to pursue once more remains to be seen, though there are clearly benefits in pursuing such a model.
With Edwards taking care of affairs here, you can rest assured that Liverpool, and FSG, will extract maximum value from any new relationship.
Could another Mo Salah be on the cards?
With FSG moving quickly to secure a world-class framework for the next Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp’s successor should be primed to thrive.
We’d certainly be far from surprised to see the club continue its tradition of landing smart signings with bags of potential for reasonable fees.
Could another Salah-type figure – at least in value, if not in position – be on the cards?
With this recruitment team, with the right sporting director, and with Edwards overseeing it all – why not?
