Liverpool have appointed a new sporting director in Michael Edwards the club, on through their official website, have confirmed.

Edwards has been part of the Liverpool management for a few years and the 37-year-old will be promoted into the new role. Previously, Edwards was the technical director at the Merseyside club.

Ian Ayre, the chief executive at the club, is expected to leave Liverpool at the end of the season and this would mean that Edwards would be the man handling all the major negotiations for transfers and contracts as well. This role would be for both the first team and academy.

Edwards had joined the club in 2011 and this role should mean that the 37-year-old has a close working relationship with current manager Jurgen Klopp.

Klopp and Edwards have already worked together

While there have been many who have claimed that a technical director does not work well with Klopp and that the German wants to have full control of transfers, Edwards and Klopp have been working in tandem for close to 13 months.

The German manager believes that Edwards is the best person for the job and has provided his backing his appointment.

“This decision is hugely positive for us. It will make us better and stronger in managing the process of building and retaining playing talent at all age groups. Development is so important and it makes sense to have a position, within the football structure specifically, that focuses on where we can improve.

“It’s no secret I like the concept of a sporting director and having worked under this model previously I have found it to be nothing but positive and forward thinking. Michael is absolutely the right person for this. He has the knowledge, expertise and personality to flourish in the role and I was delighted when he told me he would be accepting the position. Importantly, he also has a fantastic team of people around him, who have all played a significant role in putting together the talent we currently have in the first team, development squad and at even younger age levels.”

A history of directors at Liverpool

FSG have always believed in the appointment of a senior manager to help with the non-footballing aspects of the side.

Damien Comolli was sacked in 2012 from the position and Brendan Rodgers ensured that another director of football would not come to the side as he wanted more control of the team. This led to the creation of the transfer committee and Klopp has had no qualms about the committee or the appointment of Edwards at the moment.

This signing should help Klopp work more on the footballing side of the Reds while the negotiations are looked into by Edwards. Hopefully, the final decision on players is taken from Klopp and that will only be good for Liverpool in the long run.