Jurgen Klopp answers whether key figure's return to Liverpool has anything to do with his exit
Jurgen Klopp rejected the idea that Michael Edwards is only returning because he is leaving Liverpool after the current season. Edwards enjoyed a successful tenure as a sporting director from 2016 until 2022 before leaving the club for other ventures.
The 44-year-old played a pivotal role in the Red’s success under Klopp, making many successful signings for the club consistently. Liverpool have always operated with a restricted budget compared to their competitive rivals which makes every transfer deal, a risk.
Nevertheless, Edwards made numerous bargain signings like Andy Robertson, Xherdan Shaqiri and Mohamed Salah during his tenure. Edwards also sold many fringe players for higher-than-expected prices after Klopp provided them the opportunity to shine.
The 44-year-old gained an immense reputation in the football world and became a cult hero at Liverpool. Klopp and Edwards won many major trophies due to their cohesive professional relationship despite the constant pressure.
Klopp addressed the gossip rumours (via Liverpool Echo) that assumed he had a relationship breakdown with Edwards. He said:
“It was really not because of me. It’s nothing. You can ask Michael Edwards if he will speak in public, but our work together was really, really good. We worked well together and Richard Hughes, who I know, is a great, great guy. I liked the signings a lot. Who the club is bringing in, I like them all. We have a good team, a really good manager is coming in and we have all these guys too. The club is in good hands.”
In January, Klopp announced that he was leaving the managerial role at the end of the current season. The German cited burnout as the reason for his departure, prioritizing his mental and physical health.
Liverpool owners decided to restructure the management from top to bottom to compensate for the loss of the legendary manager. Klopp enjoyed more power after Edwards left the sporting director role, having a bigger say in the transfer decisions.
Fenway Sports Group reappointed Edwards as the new CEO of Football, handling all of the footballing operations on their behalf. Edwards rehired another former Liverpool sporting director Julian Ward as a part of his new structure.
Liverpool have also hired Richard Hughes as the new sporting director and Arne Slot as the new head coach. The new promising structure ushers a new era at Liverpool and we hope Klopp’s rejection of any problem with Edwards ends that poorly constructed theory.
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