Michael Edwards Appointed 1st Liverpool Sporting Director: Details and Reaction

Liverpool technical director Michael Edwards has been handed a big promotion at Anfield, moving up to become the club’s first sporting director, per James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo. 

Owners Fenway Sports Group created the brand-new role for Edwards, who has been working closely with manager Jurgen Klopp over the past 13 months, and the Liverpool boss has told reporters that he is 100 per cent satisfied with the appointment.

He’ll continue to assist the German in his new position, yet with added responsibility. Edwards will now be in charge of transfer dealings at Anfield and will negotiate with players and agents.

Klopp said in a press conference that nothing will change when Edwards takes on his new role, adding that the final say is still the manager's, via Pearce:

Damien Comolli was the Merseyside club’s first director of football when FSG took over back in 2010, although it wasn’t a happy tenure for the Frenchman.

Comolli was sacked from the position just two years later, with former boss Brendan Rodgers deciding against drafting in a new face for the role.

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FSG was apparently keen to bring in a replacement, but Rodgers insisted on having sole control over the club’s transfer dealings.

Edwards, meanwhile, joined Liverpool in 2011. Having started as head of performance and analysis, he moved on to become the director of technical performance and then technical director.

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As well as being the main man in the boardroom when it comes to transfer negotiations, Edwards will also lead football operations.

Both of these responsibilities previously fell to CEO Ian Ayre, but he’ll be stepping down from the club next year.

However, when it comes to choosing the right men for the red shirt, Klopp said he's fully in charge and needs people like Edwards to get everything over the line, via Pearce:

"

Klopp: "If someone isn't happy and asks who player is this? It will always be my player. I won't be able to blame anyone else."

— James Pearce (@JamesPearceEcho) November 4, 2016"

A talented transfer committee is hugely important for success at any football club, and in Edwards, Liverpool hope they have the right man to land world-class assets and take the club to the top.

Klopp is already working his magic on that front with a string of impressive results and performances this season. The Reds are back in action on Sunday at Anfield, as they look to keep up with the league leaders with a victory over Watford.