Michael Edwards has brought back former Liverpool sporting director Julian Ward as Fenway Sports Group’s (FSG) new technical director.
Ward has been convinced to return to the fold a year after stepping down to take a break from football.
Edwards, who took on the role of FSG’s CEO of football in March to oversee the post Jurgen Klopp era, has also appointed Benfica’s Pedro Marques as director of football development.
A new football executive has been created by Edwards with Richard Hughes arriving from Bournemouth as sporting director and David Woodfine returning to the club as Hughes’ assistant. Feyenoord manager Arne Slot is set to be confirmed as Klopp’s successor following an extensive search.
Ward will be tasked with overseeing player development across FSG’s football operations. His wide range of responsibilities will include oversight of Liverpool’s academy, FSG’s loan department, group wide elite player development strategies and the establishment of FSG’s new football innovation department.
Marques has been named as FSG’s new director of football development (Photo By Sam Barnes/Sportsfile for Web Summit via Getty Images)
He will also preside over the management of football operations at any club added to FSG’s stable as the American owners look to establish a multi-club model.
Hughes’ role will see him oversee the coaching, recruitment, negotiations, medical and sports science operations, along with the administrative and facilities management at the Kirkby training complex.
Hughes and Ward, who will both report to Edwards, will be tasked with ensuring that academy graduates and young players acquired from across the globe remain a vital source of first-team talent.
Ward initially joined Liverpool from Manchester City in 2012 as their European scouting manager for Spain and Portugal. Three years later he was appointed loan pathways and partnerships manager. In 2020 he was promoted to the role of assistant sporting director and then got the top job when Edwards decided to step down in the summer of 2022.
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Since leaving Liverpool last May to spend more time with his family, Ward has turned down a number of job offers from clubs across Europe, but the chance to work with Edwards again, combined with the scale and ambition of FSG’s burgeoning football operations, convinced him to accept this opportunity.
Marques, who will report to Ward, is regarded by Edwards as an industry leading expert in player development, career pathways, coaching methodologies and performance analysis.
He has previously worked for Sporting Lisbon, Manchester City, City Football Group and, most recently, Benfica where he was technical director.
Marques’ role included overseeing youth player development and their transition to first-team football, leading on coaching recruitment and overseeing a youth structure comprising of 39 teams and around 600 players. Ruben Dias, Joao Felix, Goncalo Ramos, Antonio Silva and Joao Neves were among those to make the leap to Benfica’s first team.
Edwards believes the experience and expertise of Marques makes him an ideal fit for FSG’s expanding football operations. Both Marques and Ward will start their new roles on June 1.
‘The band is back together’
Analysis by James Pearce
Michael Edwards is getting the band back together – but this isn’t about nostalgia.
His close working relationship with Julian Ward proved massively productive for Liverpool over the course of a decade and now they will be tasked with ensuring the club continues to flourish as a new era dawns at Anfield.
Fenway Sports Group regard Ward’s return to the fold as a major coup. They didn’t want to lose him when he stepped down as sporting director last May.
When Ward handed in his notice in November 2022, the landscape at Liverpool was very different. Edwards had gone, FSG president Mike Gordon had taken a step back and the owners were considering the possibility of selling up as they sought new investment.
After 11 years of service to Liverpool, he decided the time was right to take a break from football and spend more time with his family. He turned down the chance to become Ajax technical director last summer and then he attracted interest from INEOS as they plotted changes at Manchester United.
It’s no surprise that Edwards, who became FSG’s CEO of football in March, moved so fast to get Ward back on board.
Ward’s stock rose significantly during his spell as the club’s loan manager when he worked tirelessly to find the right temporary moves to boost the development of young players.
The value of numerous players was enhanced and led to Liverpool banking sizeable fees for the likes of Rhian Brewster, Harry Wilson, Ryan Kent and Marko Grujic.
Ward worked with Edwards on squad planning and managing training groups at all levels, with an emphasis on recruitment and contracts for the under-23s group and below as it became clear that he was being groomed as his successor.
Ward’s stint as sporting director was relatively brief but he proved himself to be a shrewd operator with the transfer deals done for Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo as his network of connections proved crucial to outwitting fellow suitors.
The fact he stayed on beyond his official departure date at the end of last season to complete the signing of Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton – having done so much groundwork to win the battle for his signature – was a sign of how he was leaving on such good terms.
Now he’s back in a new role with wide-ranging responsibilities. FSG know that the Edwards-Ward double act works.
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(Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
2024-05-10 16:27:57
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