According to reports by Liverpool-based reporters over the weekend, the deal was close to being sealed which had been officially confirmed by the likes of the Telegraph’s Paul Joyce. The deal was subsequently confirmed in a Tuesday morning news release.
Getting Edwards back is a big success for Fenway Sports Group, which has enabled Edwards to come to Anfield two years after he was laid off. During his tenure, Edwards has not been a sporting director but rather the heartbeat behind the club’s transformation, helping bring in players such as Mohammed Salah, Alisson, Fabinho, Sadio Mane and Virgil van Dijk.
Furthermore, he brokered an unprecedented premium for outgoing players including the £142 million which Barcelona gave for the Brazilian forward, Philippe Coutinho. And now, a new sporting director will work for him, joining from Bournemouth, with Richard Hughes set to join the club as a new employee. Hughes, Bournemouth’s technical director for nearly a decade, had declared that he would soon leave the club at the end of March.
Edwards after leaving Liverpool in the summer of 2022 received an approach from both Chelsea and Man United, while most people attribute his departure to the fact that the manager Klopp exerted more influence over the signings and contracts at the club.
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How will Edwards joining Liverpool help the club to improve?
Edwards now has a tall order of securing the replacement of Liverpool’s manager Klopp who is set to part with the Reds in three months with Xabi Alonso being perceived as the perfect candidate for the job.
For the admirers, Edwards- Hughes- Alonso’s combination seems to fit into the profile of Klopp’s successor in the new chapter of Liverpool. FSG did not mind making an effort and met Edwards several times to try to convince him to come back. Edwards finally moved to Liverpool because of these efforts.
In this scenario, it is expected to be Edwards who takes up responsibilities of chief executive Billy Hogan and president of FSG Mike Gordon who communicated recently that their roles within FSG organization will alter.
