Liverpool FC have confirmed the appointment of Julian Ward as the club’s new sporting director, with the 45-year-old taking up the role for the second time.
The position was left vacant by the departure of Richard Hughes for Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia earlier this month, with there now being four changes in the holder of that job title at Anfield since the summer of 2022.
The Athletic had reported earlier this week that Ward – who most recently served as FSG’s technical director – was expected to be given the job, and there had been suggestions from some quarters of a potential dual appointment also involving Brentford technical director Lee Dykes.
Liverpool appoint Ward as sporting director
On Saturday morning, Liverpool confirmed (via liverpoolfc.com) that the 45-year-old has been appointed to the role of sporting director and will take up the position with immediate effect.
Ward’s involvement with the Reds dates back to 2012, when he came to the club in the capacity of supporting scouting, recruitment and player development strategy.
He served as assistant to then-sporting director Michael Edwards before taking over in the role upon the latter’s exit in the summer of 2022. He stepped down a year later to be replaced by Jorg Schmadtke.
Image via Liverpool FC
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Ward has some important matters in his in-tray immediately
When it became apparent in recent days that Ward was likely to get the job, James Pearce voiced his approval of the leading (now confirmed) candidate as a sensible choice who’ll ‘provide some much-needed continuity at a time of major upheaval behind the scenes’ at Anfield.
In his previous stint as sporting director, the 45-year-old oversaw the signings of Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo and Alexis Mac Allister, along with a contract renewal for Mo Salah. As Edwards’ assistant, he was also heavily involved in the deal which saw Luis Diaz join from Porto in January 2022.
In appointing Ward now, Liverpool have prevented the search for Hughes’ successor from turning into a protracted circus, and the new man at the helm can immediately get to work on planning for transfer activity in 2027 and resolving some pressing contractual matters.
Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk are among the players heading into the final nine months of their respective deals at Anfield, and it’d represent a significant win for the sporting director if he can broker an agreement with both of those long-serving stalwarts.
He might also be determined to do what his predecessor couldn’t and sort out a new long-term contract for Mac Allister, who publicly voiced his dismay at not being offered an extension by the club over the summer.
With Ward now in situ, hopefully he can make discernible progress on each of those matters in the coming months, and bring a stability to the role which has been lacking over the past four years.
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