- Edwards was previously sporting director at Liverpool until he left in 2022
- But Fenway Sports Group has persuaded him to return in a senior role
- Liverpool made Man City look ordinary at times. They don’t back down. They don’t blink… is Jurgen Klopp irreplaceable? Listen to the It’s all Kicking Off podcast
Michael Edwards has agreed to return to Liverpool in a senior role at owners Fenway Sports Group, where he will head up football operations. His first task will likely be to appoint sporting director Richard Hughes.
Edwards initially rejected a bid to return to the club after two years away when FSG chief Mike Gordon asked him to lead a restructure following the departure of manager Jurgen Klopp.
But Liverpool did not give up and made a second, final move to tempt Edwards to return to the club.
The two parties held constructive talks in Boston a fortnight ago, with principal owner John W. Henry also present and influential.
Edwards finally agreed to return to the club on Monday – in a senior role. He made it clear that he would not return to his previous position as sporting director.
Michael Edwards (left) returns to Liverpool in a senior football operations position
Edwards previously spent ten years at Liverpool and was influential in Klopp’s success
Liverpool are hoping to close a deal for Bournemouth transfer chief Richard Hughes
John W Henry (centre) and Mike Gordon met Edwards, as FSG’s plan for life after Klopp
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But it appears that job will be filled by 44-year-old Hughes, as Mail Sport reported on Thursday. Hughes confirmed his departure from Bournemouth last week.
The pair have been close friends since their time in Portsmouth, when Hughes was a player and Edwards an aspiring data analyst.
Edwards spent ten years at Liverpool from 2012 and has been hailed as one of the most influential figures alongside Klopp in the club’s recent glory decade.
He played a key role in the signing of Mo Salah, Alisson and Virgil Van Dijk, among others.
Once Hughes arrives, the pair will move to name Klopp’s successor. Xabi Alonso remains the leader, but Sporting’s Ruben Amorim is also high on the list.
In addition to Julian Nagelsmann, Roberto De Zerbi is also mentioned.
Hughes is multilingual and is said to know ‘everyone in football’. He has previously dealt with Edwards in transfer deals when he brought the likes of Dominic Solanke and Jordon Ibe from Liverpool to Bournemouth.
Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso remains the frontrunner to succeed Klopp at Anfield
Ruben Amorim, the coach of Sporting Lisbon, is also among the names in the box