It’s official, Michael Edwards will leave Liverpool Football Club at the end of the season and Julian Ward will take his role as Sporting Director.
An open letter has been written by the man who has spent 10 years at Anfield to express his gratitude and best wishes to our club, as shared on the club’s official website.
Across nearly 2,000 words, he opened by stating: ‘To be part of this club during this period has been a privilege due to the people I have been fortunate enough to work with and the success we have enjoyed‘.
His reasoning for writing the letter and for leaving the club were all included as the man who looks to be heading to Newcastle, as reported this morning, wanted to ensure the fans understood the reasoning behind the decision.
One key reason was timing, for him and the club: ‘I had always planned to cap my time at the club to a maximum of 10 years.
‘I’ve loved working here, but I am a big believer in change.
‘I think it’s good for the individual and, in a work setting, good for the employer too‘.
Whether you would agree that all things need to change, this does appear to be a particular interest for the former Tottenham and Portsmouth employee.
Attention then turns to his replacement, again this is answered quickly within the letter as it is revealed that Julian Ward will be taking over the role.
The current Assistant Sporting Director is making the step-up and his influence on the role and our club was described by the man whose job he will be taking: ‘Julian’s elevation is wholly in keeping with what I believe to be a key factor of the Liverpool Way, with promotion from within ensuring expertise, experience and institutional knowledge are cherished in the way that they should be‘.
There was then the mention of the, to some supporters, controversial owners: ‘By their own admission, FSG may have got a few things wrong‘, before praising their help during his tenure.
Our Yorkshire-born senior employee then reflected on some transfer techniques, disproving the ‘Money Ball’ idea with: ‘Contrary to popular belief, we don’t sign players off “stats” but the information provided from their research does play a crucial role in our decision-making‘.
Thanks was also afforded to the players ‘acquired’ under his watch: ‘I have huge respect for each and every one of them and the success that they have enjoyed in recent years is richly deserved in every single case.
They are fortunate to play for a club like Liverpool and Liverpool are fortunate to have them‘.
Going on to reveal his dog is called ‘Bobby‘, the 41-year-old didn’t want to confirm his favourite signing but did have time to doff his hat to the manager: ‘He is a demanding man – he wants to win, whether it’s padel tennis or a Champions League final – and he has led the team incredibly well over my time at LFC‘.
Then that was it, he finished: ‘with the new training ground complete, many of the core players committed to the club through long-term contracts and some of the hard work translated into trophies, as I said at the start: it’s time for me to move on‘.
As was said in the letter, ‘all good things must come to an end‘ and it is time for one of the most influential members of the background operations to move away.
Eddie Howe looks to have hired himself a great man and we send all the best wishes to them both and most importantly wish Julian Ward all the best for taking the helm in June.