Michael Edwards appointed to senior role with Liverpool owner Fenway Sports Group

Michael Edwards has been appointed to a senior role with Fenway Sports Group, which includes the former Liverpool executive taking oversight of the club’s football operations.

The Athletic reported Edwards was close to agreeing a senior role with Liverpool’s owners, and this was expected to see former Bournemouth technical director Richard Hughes fill the vacant sporting director position after his exit from the south-coast club was confirmed earlier this month.

Edwards’ appointment has now been confirmed with him taking up the position of CEO of football for the Boston-based investment group.

“Michael is one of the most formidable executive talents in world football and John (Henry), Tom (Werner), and I are absolutely thrilled to have secured his services for our business,” FSG president Mike Gordon said upon the announcement.

“As an organisation we constantly strive for improvement in our football operation, whether that be identifying fresh opportunities externally or areas for enhancement internally, and there is no better person to lead that ongoing process.”

Liverpool are in the midst of a huge transition following manager Jurgen Klopp’s decision to step aside this summer. Klopp’s closest staff, including assistant manager Pep Lijnders, are also scheduled to leave and interim sporting director Jorg Schmadtke departed following the January transfer window.

FSG targeted Edwards to lead the restructure — floating the idea of him occupying a top job at Liverpool or inside the ownership group — but he initially turned down the opportunity.

However, they continued its pursuit and Edwards now joins in a far broader capacity that encompasses Liverpool, rather than specifically returning to Anfield.

“I am very grateful to Mike, John, Tom and the ownership group for offering me the opportunity to take on this new leadership role within FSG,” Edwards said.

“I was humbled by the desire and persistence they showed in wanting to work with me again. This is definitely not something that I take for granted given their track record across sport and business.”

Edwards declined a number of offers to return to football following his exit from Liverpool in 2022 but following detailed discussions in Boston in early March now succeeds Gordon as the day to day decision maker on all football matters.

Gordon intends to reduce his involvement in football but will remain on the FSG board, of which Edwards will now report into.

Edwards’ new role will also involve helping to identify and subsequently manage a second club for FSG to attract global talent for Liverpool.

“It was vital for me that, if I did return, it had to be with renewed vigour and energy,” Edwards said. “In practice, this means having fresh challenges and opportunities.

“As such, one of the biggest factors in my decision is the commitment to acquire and oversee an additional club, growing this area of their organisation. I believe that to remain competitive, investment and expansion of the current football portfolio is necessary.”

Edwards took a year-long break post-Liverpool but returned to football in 2023 by launching Ludonautics, an advisory service, alongside the club’s ex-director of research Ian Graham. He will now resign from that position on June 1.

As part of Edwards’ move, Theo Epstein has been re-appointed as an advisor for the Boston Red Sox and FSG’s expanding sports portfolio in another sign of FSG’s desire to bring back trusted executives with a track record of success in broader more expansive roles.

Edwards was at Liverpool for more than 10 years and was credited with playing a major role in the success that saw them win the Premier League and Champions League.

He had helped assemble Liverpool’s 2019-20 Premier League title-winning team, helping to bring in signings such as Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Alisson and Virgil van Dijk. He also identified Klopp to replace Brendan Rodgers in 2015.

The appointment of Hughes has always depended on FSG securing Edwards and, having served notice to the south-coast team some time ago, the ex-Scotland international has held discussions with multiple suitors since the January transfer window closed.

Edwards is known to regard Hughes among the industry’s leading operators and his move to install Andoni Iraola as Bournemouth head coach last June underlined his credentials.

Why FSG pushed so hard for Edwards

It is clear why Fenway Sports Group didn’t take no for an answer when Edwards turned down their initial approach about a possible return to Liverpool earlier this year.

Senior executives John W. Henry, Tom Werner and Gordon view Edwards as absolutely integral to the success the club have enjoyed under their ownership and have been desperate to get him back on board to help shape the post-Klopp era at Anfield.

Edwards earned their respect initially with his work as head of performance and analysis after joining Liverpool from Tottenham Hotspur in 2011. Five years later, he was promoted to the role of sporting director and recruited the team which won the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League title in 2020.

It was Edwards who pushed hard for the signing of Salah from Roma in 2017 and convinced Klopp that he would light up the Premier League. He also secured deals for the transformative duo of Alisson and Van Dijk, as well as bringing in the likes of Mane, Andy Robertson, Fabinho and Ibrahima Konate.

He earned a reputation as a shrewd negotiator — holding out for a record fee of £142million (now $182m) when Philippe Coutinho was sold to Barcelona in January 2018. He also secured hefty fees for fringe stars such as Mamadou Sakho (£26m, Crystal Palace), Dominic Solanke (£19m, Bournemouth), Danny Ward (£12.5m, Leicester City) and Danny Ings (£20m, Southampton).

With a data-led approach, Edwards made FSG’s self-sustaining business model work and established a close bond with FSG president Gordon.

The owners always admired his ability to take the emotion out of the decision-making process and the fact he was never shy to question and challenge other senior figures, including Klopp.

They did not want to lose him in the summer of 2022 when he decided to step down following the end of his contract.

With Edwards not interested in returning to his former job as sporting director, FSG has had to offer a more wide-ranging role with greater responsibilities.

There is a lot of uncertainty at Liverpool with so much change on the horizon this summer. FSG view Edwards as the perfect candidate to put the right structure and personnel in place to guide the club through that transition.

(John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)