Julian Ward took over the position of Sporting Director at Liverpool from his predecessor Michael Edwards in 2022. However, due to changes in the club’s management structure, he announced his decision to step down from the position after only one year and left the team at the end of last season.
The new appointment is Jörg Schmatke, who is well versed in the Bundesliga. Reports say that he has signed a short-term contract and will likely leave the team only this summer. At 59 years of age, he is unlikely to be part of a long-term project, and Liverpool is eager to find his replacement.
Dave Davies, soccer writer, revealed that the owners have held discussions about personnel in the reinforcement department, that the German dictator’s future is short, and that Julian Ward has been involved in the Liverpool job since mid-August.
“On that, all we’ve heard is that it has been a discussion topic for FSG — specifically John Henry, all the key players.
“When John and Tom flew over for the Chelsea game, apparently there were initial discussions — I’m not going to pretend I’ve got an insight, but the absolute smart money is two things. Number one, Jorg Schmadtke is not here in the long term…”
“The second big thing, and this isn’t a big reveal, a few people have mentioned it. All we know and other people at AI know from fishing around and getting info — I want to be careful how I phrase this, because it could be taken in different ways.”
“Julian Ward has been back involved with Liverpool during the end of the transfer window. From mid-August, he’s been involved with Liverpool.”
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The veracity of this report is doubtful, and it is unlikely that the company will revert to the director who stepped down a few months ago.
On the other hand, a short-term partnership is not improbable, and in the meantime, Liverpool must find a head of reinforcement to whom it can entrust the next few years.
With the public clamoring for the return of Michael Edwards, what decision will Liverpool make…?