Brendan Rodgers will keep his job as Liverpool boss, with widespread newspaper reports stating that club owners Fenway Sports Group have elected against including a review of the managerial position in their season assessment.
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Liverpool transfer rumours
He will still be made accountable for a number of things, however, with the fact that we’ve only managed 62 points this season – compared to 84 the previous campaign as we finished second – the key and most telling statistic.
The fact that our transfers last summer (with £115 million spent according to the Guardian) haven’t exactly set the world alight will also be on the agenda.
The board do accept that the sale of Luis Suarez played a significant role in the team’s substantially reduced goal tally this season, and that repeated injuries to Daniel Sturridge hardly helped matters.
Rodgers has also had to deal with off-field distractions in the contract sagas of Raheem Sterling and Steven Gerrard, who eventually left after an offer was delayed. The 34 year-old departs Liverpool as the club’s top scorer, but told the Echo in January that “Yes, if a contract had been put in front of me in pre-season I would have signed it.”
Still, there are significant caveats in Rodgers’ safety, and the Mirror reports he may have to change elements of his role if the relationship between club and manager is to continue.
Rodgers will be asked to guarantee the Reds will return to the UEFA Champions League, he will need to perform far better than the previous summer in the transfer window – while still sticking to the confines of the club’s transfer and wage policies, and promoting youth players.
The Mirror also add that a director of football may be considered, which may prove difficult for Rodgers to accept.
In 2012, upon joining Liverpool, the Ulsterman declared adamantly to the Guardian that he would not work in that sort of arrangement.
“One of the items I brought up when I was speaking to the club was that I wouldn’t directly work with a director of football,” explained Rodgers to the Guardian three years ago.
“I feel that if you are going to do that as a club you have to do that first. That was my recommendation. If you want to have a sporting director, get him in and then you can pick your manager from there but if you do I won’t be the manager.”
“It’s absolute madness if you are the manager of the club and someone else tells you to have that player. It doesn’t work. I’ve had total clarity with that from the guys so I’ve got confidence that will remain.”
The Mirror say Rodgers will go to meet FSG’s principal shareholder John Henry and director Michael Gordon in Boston during the first week of June, with chairman Tom Werner’s attendance not yet certain.
This summer will certainly be a big one for Liverpool Football Club.